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Fire Salamander | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Fire Salamander

Salamandra salamandra

AmphibiaDamp deciduous woodland near cool streams and springsLeast Concern

Field profile

The fire salamander is a stout black salamander marked with yellow, and sometimes orange or red, in patterns that vary strongly between populations. It is nocturnal and terrestrial as an adult, emerging in rain, and depends on clean cool streams for its larvae. Several subspecies differ in whether they give birth to larvae or to fully formed young.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2025-09-10

Fire Salamander

Fire salamanders give birth rather than laying eggs

Instead of laying a clutch, female fire salamanders retain the eggs internally and deposit live larvae into a stream. In some mountain populations the young skip the water stage entirely and emerge as miniature land salamanders.

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