---
title: "What the sources say about the Fire Salamander | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "42 claims from the Fire Salamander profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/fire-salamander-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/fire-salamander/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Fire Salamander (*Salamandra salamandra*)

> 42 claims from the Fire Salamander profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Fire Salamander](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/fire-salamander/)

## Salamandra salamandra. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Salamandra_salamandra/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| black skin marked with yellow or orange spots, splotches or bands | Its body is black with yellow or orange markings that occur in patterns varying from discrete spots to large splotches or bands. |
| Animal Diversity Web's account puts it at 15 to 25 centimeters long, with some individuals exceeding 30 | ranging from 15 to 25cm long, with some individuals exceeding 30cm (note: Attributed to ADW because its 2000 account predates the Salamandra splits (Steinfartz et al. 2000) and may cover the broad-sense species.) |
| one study found individuals returning to the same cave to hibernate for up to 20 years | one experiment found individuals returned to the same cave to hibernate for up to 20 years (note: A homing observation, kept separate from the lifespan figure.) |
| spending much of its time beneath rocks or logs or in crevices in shaded woodland, and is mainly active on mild nights | prefers woodland habitats, especially those with much shade ... It spends much time beneath rocks or logs, or hiding in crevices to stay protected and moist ... Its main periods of activity are on mild nights |
| Older accounts extend its range into northern Africa and the Middle East | The Fire Salamander occurs in central and southern Europe, with parts of its range extending into northern Africa and the Middle East (note: ADW's account is dated 2000-02-17, before the splits.) |
| It hunts soft-bodied prey such as earthworms and slugs, and harder-bodied beetles, centipedes and millipedes | soft-bodied prey such as earthworms and slugs, and harder-bodied prey such as flies, millipedes, centipedes, and beetles |
| When some light is available it uses movement as its cue and ignores stationary prey. In the dark, with its vision impaired, it hunts by smell, and will attack prey that isn't moving as long as it can detect its odor. | When some light is available, it uses prey movement as its cue and ignores stationary prey. However, when hunting in the dark, it uses olfaction as its primary cue since vision is impaired. In this situation it will attack prey, if the prey is stationary, as long as it can detect the odor of the prey item. |
| Large parotoid glands behind the eyes and rows of poison glands down the body secrete neurotoxins | The large paratoid glands behind the eyes and rows of poison glands extending lengthwise down the animal's body secrete neurotoxins. |
| Instead of relying on escape, the salamander is capable of actively spraying these chemicals at predators to discourage an attack. | The Fire Salamander is capable of actively spraying these chemicals at predators to discourage attack, rather than relying on escaping |
| the female retains the developing eggs and later deposits many small larvae in water, usually already quite advanced | the females deposit their young in water. S. salamandra is considered viviparous. The female retains the developing eggs, and the embryos derive their nourishment from the yolk. At birth the larvae are usually quite advanced (note: 'many small larvae' is buckley-2007's description of the common mode.) |
| Black-and-yellow woodland amphibian whose glands behind the eyes secrete toxic alkaloids it can spray at attackers. | The large paratoid glands behind the eyes and rows of poison glands extending lengthwise down the animal's body secrete neurotoxins ... capable of actively spraying these chemicals at predators (note: tagline; alkaloid identity from mebs-2005.) |
| Glands behind the eyes and down the body that secrete toxic alkaloids, which it can actively spray at an attacker. | The large paratoid glands behind the eyes and rows of poison glands extending lengthwise down the animal's body secrete neurotoxins ... capable of actively spraying these chemicals at predators to discourage attack (note: stats.superpower) |
| Earthworms, slugs, beetles, centipedes and millipedes | soft-bodied prey such as earthworms and slugs, and harder-bodied prey such as flies, millipedes, centipedes, and beetles (note: stats.diet) |
| Rather than counting on a predator realizing it makes an unpleasant meal and letting it go, the fire salamander can spray the neurotoxins from its skin glands straight at the predator to discourage the attack. | The Fire Salamander is capable of actively spraying these chemicals at predators to discourage attack, rather than relying on escaping once the predator realizes it makes an unpleasant meal. (note: 'letting it go' paraphrases 'relying on escaping once the predator realizes'; 'neurotoxins from its skin glands' is the preceding sentence's 'poison glands ... secrete neurotoxins') |
| Salamanders, fire salamanders among them, were frequently seen crawling out of logs tossed onto cooking fires and campfires, which is likely where the stories began. Their thin, permeable skin gives them no such protection. | Traditional folklore held that salamanders could survive in fire ... The stories probably originated because salamanders, including S. salamandra, were frequently seen to crawl out of logs tossed onto cooking and campfires. Of course, their thin permeable skin offers no such protection. (note: FAQ 2 answer) |
| dangerLevel: Low | The Fire Salamander has been a popular species in the pet trade, and has also been utilized as an animal model in research (note: #889: ADW's Economic Importance lists no negative effect on humans; a 19.1 g amphibian that is kept as a pet and used as a lab animal. No cached source describes harm to a person.) |
| tags: chemical-defense | The Fire Salamander is capable of actively spraying these chemicals at predators to discourage attack (note: settle #889) |
| tags: toxic-chemical | The large paratoid glands behind the eyes and rows of poison glands extending lengthwise down the animal's body secrete neurotoxins. (note: settle #889) |
| an amphibian whose glands secrete neurotoxins it can actively spray at a predator to discourage an attack | poison glands extending lengthwise down the animal's body secrete neurotoxins (note: settle #889 (vibe.reason; spray half is the chemical-defense claim's quote)) |

## Salamandra salamandra. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Salamandra_salamandra

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| AnAge lists an adult weight of 19.1 grams | Adult weight 19.1 g |
| Its maximum recorded lifespan is 24 years, in captivity | Maximum longevity 24 years (captivity) |
| weightKg: 0.019 | Adult weight 19.1 g (note: settle #889) |

## Salamandra salamandra. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2023: e.T59467A219148292.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2023-1.rlts.t59467a219148292.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The IUCN now lists the species as Vulnerable. | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). |
| Vulnerable | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). (note: backs stats.conservationStatus) |

## Mebs & Pogoda (2005). Variability of alkaloids in the skin secretion of the European fire salamander (Salamandra salamadra terrestris). Toxicon.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2005.01.001

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| the two major alkaloids in the skin secretion are samandarine and samandarone | The two major alkaloids, samandarine and samandarone, were identified in the skin secretion |
| Alkaloid synthesis appears to take place in the liver, testes and ovaries as well, while the larvae are entirely free of alkaloids. | Alkaloid synthesis appears to take place also in liver, testes and ovaries, whereas the larvae of the salamanders are entirely free of alkaloids. |

## Preißler et al. (2019). More yellow more toxic? Sex rather than alkaloid content is correlated with yellow coloration in the fire salamander. Journal of Zoology.

https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12676

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Fire salamanders are textbook examples of warning coloration | fire salamanders (genus Salamandra) are textbook examples of aposematism |
| a study of three populations in the Solling area of Lower Saxony, Germany found no correlation between how much yellow a salamander wore and the alkaloid content of its parotoid glands | We studied fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra terrestris) from different locations in the Solling, an area in Lower Saxony (Germany) ... We measured the dorsal yellow ratio of 50 individuals from each of three populations, and quantified toxicity (steroidal alkaloid content of the parotoid glands) ... We found no correlation between yellow ratio and toxicity; instead yellow coloration was significantly affected by sex (males displaying more yellow), and location. |
| The yellow varied with sex, males showing more, and with location. | yellow coloration was significantly affected by sex (males displaying more yellow), and location |

## Steinfartz, Veith & Tautz (2000). Mitochondrial sequence analysis of Salamandra taxa suggests old splits of major lineages and postglacial recolonizations of Central Europe from distinct source populations of Salamandra salamandra. Molecular Ecology.

https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-294x.2000.00870.x

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| It occurs all over Europe from Spain to Greece | This species occurs all over Europe from Spain to Greece (note: Narrow-sense S. salamandra, after the splits the same abstract describes.) |
| a mitochondrial DNA study of the genus found six major lineages, and suggested S. salamandra was the only one to recolonize Central Europe after the last glaciation | Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences suggests that six major monophyletic groups exist (S. salamandra, S. algira, S. infraimmaculata, S. corsica, S. atra and S. lanzai) ... suggesting that it was the only species that has recolonized Central Europe after the last glaciation |
| Shaded woodland all over Europe, from Spain to Greece | This species occurs all over Europe from Spain to Greece (note: stats.habitat; 'shaded woodland' is ADW's 'woodland habitats, especially those with much shade'.) |
| Two subpopulations, one in northern Spain and one in southern Italy, are genetically very distinct from the others, and their mitochondrial lineages group closer to each other than to the rest. | Two subpopulations of S. salamandra were found that are genetically very distinct from the other populations. One lives in northern Spain (S. s. bernardezi) and one in southern Italy (S. s. gigliolii). Surprisingly, the mitochondrial lineages of these subpopulations group closer together than the remainder S. salamandra lineages. (note: FAQ 4 answer) |
| The researchers suggest they are remnants of a population that colonized Central Europe in an earlier interglacial period, approximately 500,000 years ago, long before the recolonization that followed the last glaciation. | We suggest that these populations are remnants of a large homogeneous population that had colonized Central Europe in a previous interglacial period, approximately 500 000 years ago (note: FAQ 4; '500 000' is the abstract's spacing of 500,000. The last glaciation recolonization is the same abstract's 'recolonized Central Europe after the last glaciation'.) |

## Buckley et al. (2007). Heterochrony, cannibalism, and the evolution of viviparity in Salamandra salamandra. Evolution & Development.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-142x.2006.00141.x

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The common mode is ovoviviparity | the common mode, ovoviviparity (females giving birth to many small larvae) |
| Their females are viviparous, producing only a few large young that are fully metamorphosed at birth and nourished by the mother | a phylogenetically derived reproductive strategy, viviparity (females producing only a few large, fully metamorphosed juveniles, which are nourished maternally) (note: 'Some populations': buckley-2007 says the modes vary between neighbouring conspecific populations, and ADW that some populations deposit already metamorphosed young.) |
| Some populations go further. | the variation in reproductive modes and the associated variation of sequences of development occur in neighboring, conspecific populations |
| cannibalism inside the womb is one of the traits that characterize that derived strategy | the heterochronic events that, together with the intrauterine cannibalistic behavior, characterize the derived viviparous reproductive strategy |

## Martel et al. (2013). Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans sp. nov. causes lethal chytridiomycosis in amphibians. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1307356110

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In 2013, scientists isolated a new chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, from a fire salamander population whose steep decline had brought the species to the edge of local extinction. It caused erosive skin disease and rapid death in fire salamanders infected in the lab. | a steep decrease in fire salamander populations (Salamandra salamandra) that has brought this species to the edge of local extinction. Here we isolated and characterized a unique chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans sp. nov., from this salamander population. This chytrid causes erosive skin disease and rapid mortality in experimentally infected fire salamanders (note: '2013' is the paper's publication year. The abstract does not name the country, so the page does not tie this population to the Dutch one.) |
| The fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, was first isolated from a declining fire salamander population, and fire salamanders infected in the lab developed erosive skin disease and died quickly. Midwife toads infected in the same study resisted it, which, along with the fungus's preference for cooler temperatures, the authors took as a sign that it occupies a different niche from its relative Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. | Here we isolated and characterized a unique chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans sp. nov., from this salamander population. This chytrid causes erosive skin disease and rapid mortality in experimentally infected fire salamanders ... However, the lower thermal growth preference of B. salamandrivorans, compared with B. dendrobatidis, and resistance of midwife toads (Alytes obstetricans) to experimental infection with B. salamandrivorans suggest differential niche occupation of the two chytrid fungi. (note: FAQ 3 answer) |

## Spitzen-van der Sluijs et al. (2013). Rapid enigmatic decline drives the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) to the edge of extinction in the Netherlands. Amphibia-Reptilia.

https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-00002891

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In the Netherlands, at the edge of its range, the fire salamander was restricted to three small populations in the far south, and their numbers fell 96 percent from 2010, a decline its researchers could not pin on any known cause. | In the Netherlands, the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) is at the edge of its geographic range and is restricted to three small populations in the extreme south of the country ... A sharp decline in numbers has been observed since 2010 (96%; ), but we were unable to attribute this to any known cause of amphibian decline |

## Stegen et al. (2017). Drivers of salamander extirpation mediated by Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans. Nature.

https://doi.org/10.1038/nature22059

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| After it arrived in a Belgian population, two years of monitoring showed a rapid collapse with no sign of recovery, largely due to the survivors' lack of added resistance and a demographic shift that prevented compensation for the deaths. | we monitored infection, disease and host population dynamics in a Belgian fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) population for two years immediately after the first signs of infection. We show that arrival of this chytrid is associated with rapid population collapse without any sign of recovery, largely due to lack of increased resistance in the surviving salamanders and a demographic shift that prevents compensation for mortality |