THE ANIMAL FILES

Fire salamander

Salamandra salamandra

A land-dwelling salamander can send larvae into water.

Fire salamanders spend much time under woodland cover and become active in damp conditions. Females usually release developing young into water, but some forms retain them longer and give birth after metamorphosis. The species does not have one identical developmental timetable everywhere.[1]

Follow the evidence ↓
Fire salamander
Image: Michael Linnenbach · Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Life beneath cover
Logs and leaf litter provide retreats.[1]
Small animals as food
Invertebrates make up much of the diet.[1]
Two developmental routes
Some forms retain young through metamorphosis.[1]

Life beneath cover

Deciduous forest with fallen leaves, moss and wood provides hiding places. Activity commonly occurs in evening or at night, but rainy days can bring daytime activity too. Local moisture helps explain a sighting better than a strict rule that the animal never appears in daylight.[1]

Small animals as food

Insects, spiders, worms, slugs and other small animals are taken. Small prey can adhere to the rear part of the tongue or be caught near the vomerine teeth in the mouth.[1]

Two developmental routes

Fertilisation is internal after a spermatophore is taken up by the female. Commonly, larvae are deposited into water around hatching. In some subspecies development continues inside the female until metamorphosed young are born, so dependence on an external aquatic larval phase differs.[1]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Do all fire salamanders lay exposed eggs in ponds?

No. Fertilisation and early development are internal, and females release larvae or, in some forms, metamorphosed young.[1]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

Why should larval water requirements not be copied unchanged to every form?

Reveal the explanation

Some retain development inside the mother through metamorphosis, changing the external stage.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — Fire salamander (cited revision)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Salamandra salamandra

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

European fire-bellied toadA quiet back can hide a bright warning.Bombina bombina ↗Common toadA quiet night walk leads back to a crowded breeding pond.Bufo bufo ↗Cane toadA toad with a remarkably broad menu.Rhinella marina ↗