Alpine salamander

Description

The alpine salamander is a small tailed amphibian with a slender body and smooth, glossy skin of a deep, uniform black. Some subspecies show yellow spots or stripes. It has a broad head, protruding eyes and rows of glands along its sides that secrete defensive substances. The species name atra comes from the Latin for "black".

Habitat and distribution

It lives in the Alps and in some isolated populations in the Balkans, at middle and high elevations. It favours damp broadleaf woodland, high pastures, scree slopes and limestone habitats rich in shelters. It likes cool, moist places and appears mainly after rain or at dusk.

Behaviour and reproduction

Unlike most salamanders, whose larvae develop in water, the alpine salamander is fully terrestrial at every stage of life. It is viviparous: it gives birth to one or two fully developed young, ready for terrestrial life. Its gestation is among the longest of all vertebrates and can last several years depending on altitude.

Did you know?

The long gestation is an adaptation to life high in the mountains, where standing water for larval development is not always available. The skin secretion is irritant and defends it against predators.

Conservation

It is classed as least concern, but is protected across much of its range. The main threats are climate change, disturbance of mountain habitats and its very low reproductive rate, which makes it vulnerable to population declines.