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Alpine salamander

Alpine salamander

Black relative of the common salamander.

Completely black, gray, or even brownish, the salamander resides in crevices of walls and among roots in dense forests and alpine meadows of our Alpine and predominantly Dinaric region. High humidity keeps its body moist, as, like all amphibians, it breathes through its skin.

The alpine salamander is adapted to cold, humidity, and lack of food.

Alpine salamander (Salamandra atra)

Size
  • from 9 to 14 cm
Height
  • 12 g
Diet
  • earthworms, snails, centipedes, terrestrial crustaceans, insects
Habitat

  • moist and dense forests, alpine meadows; Alps, Dinarides
   
Kingdom
  • Animalia
Phylum
  • Chordata
Class
  • amphibian
Order
  • urodele
Family
  • newts and salamanders
Genus
  • Salamandra
Species
  • alpine salamander

The alpine salamander is active on humid nights and during the day only when it rains. It feeds on earthworms, snails, centipedes, terrestrial crustaceans, and insects. It is not on the menu for predators, because it is toxic and tastes unpleasant.

Despite having four short legs, its belly still drags along the ground, giving it the appearance of crawling.

 

The smaller relative of the common salamander is very attached to its environment and is not a great traveler.
The black relative of the common salamander prefers a cool and moist environment. It lives in our Alpine and predominantly Dinaric regions. This toxic amphibian is active at night and during the day when it rains.

 

During mating, the male deposits a gelatinous capsule containing sperm—called a spermatophore—on the ground. The female collects this capsule with her cloaca during mating. The sperm then travels through her body to fertilize her eggs.

The development of the larvae is particularly interesting, as they do not require water. They develop inside the female's body, where they feed on their own yolk, unfertilized eggs, and special tissue produced by the wall of the female's uterus."

The alpine salamander is viviparous. The female carries the embryos for up to two years, and in higher altitudes above 1,500 meters, also three years. She gives birth to two transformed juveniles.

DO YOU KNOW?

  1. We have observed the alpine salamander in Triglav National Park at Lipanca mountain pasture, in the wider area of Pokljuka, in the Vrata and Trenta valleys, and on Velo Polje...