Legendary, known to all, the spotted salamander is found on rare occasions. On rainy evenings they come out, sometimes by the dozen, on the paths, at the edge of the fountains, in the garden. Then they return to their underground life, secret. Let's go and discover the unusual world of the Salamanders.
A miniature dragon in the undergrowth?
Its body of about fifteen centimeters rests on four short legs, and is extended by a round, tapered tail. Its colors, a shiny black dotted with yellow, allow to recognize it unequivocally. Its head has two large black eyes adapted to night and twilight vision, followed by two protuberances, the typical parotoid glands. Its appearance is almost reptilian, yet the Spotted Salamander, Salamandra salamandra, belongs to the class of Amphibians, vertebrates leading a double life, terrestrial for the adults, aquatic for the young. Alongside the Tritons, with a flat tail, it joins the order of the Urodeles, while Frogs and Toads are classified in the Anurans.
An adult life far from water
Surprisingly, for Amphibians, Salamanders spend their adult life far from the aquatic environment, but like humidity. They hibernate during the coldest months, under stones, old stumps, borrowing old rodent burrows. They rest during the summer heat, seeking coolness in their underground caches. They hunt at dusk, at night, snails, insects, earthworms, millipedes, spiders, caterpillars, sowbugs... Prey of all sizes, held in their powerful jaws before being swallowed.
And in their life cycle, even the mating season remains terrestrial.
Males and females, terrestrial meetings
As soon as they come out of hibernation, at the beginning of March, until September, the mating season will take place, entirely terrestrial. Preferring the month of July, the males from the age of 2, 3 years look for a female. They establish contact, with their head resting on her back. If the moment is favourable, the male slides under his partner, lifts her up slightly and holds her by a grip between her front legs. Fertilization is internal. Then follows for the female a long gestation, of several months. Eight in total. At the end of which she will finally return to the aquatic environment, so that her young develop there.
Small Salamanders long protected
The long gestation of the Salamander allows it to protect its eggs and to give birth to larvae already formed. After a migration towards a brook, a pond, a fountain, an active cave, it immerses itself partially... And releases about twenty larvae of 2 to 3 cm long; the most robust will go up to 60... Sharing the same habitat, Red Frogs, Common Toads, Alpine Tritons, have not adopted the same reproductive strategy, and to compensate for predation lay hundreds, thousands of eggs. In the case of the Salamander, the larvae are autonomous from birth.
Perennial larvae
Lively, the small larvae spin on their four legs, undulating with their long flat tail. They can be noticed by their finely branched external gills, the clear spot marking the base of their legs. Discreet, rather grayish, they hide in crevices, under stones, between roots, trying to dodge formidable predators, carnivorous insects, birds, aquatic shrews, trouts in deeper waters... And larvae of Salamanders bigger than them. Carnivorous, they hunt mosquito larvae, mayflies, gammarids, and become cannibals if needed. After 4 months of this diet, and several moults, the young Salamanders leave the water, for a long terrestrial life of several decades.
A long, long life
The longevity of Salamanders is exceptional, 30 years in the wild, up to 50 in captivity. Their absence of predators is one of the causes. Some have taken the risk, but they will not forget its yellow and black colors. Nor its toxic venom, secreted by the parotoid glands and the verrucous protuberances arranged in a line all along its body. This venom, dangerous alkaloid, is a neurotoxic aggressive for the mucous membranes, mouth and eyes. On the epidermis, the human skin, it can create irritations. For Salamanders, the protection is long-lasting, especially since it is completed with an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial action.
Many subspecies
If the spotted salamanders are distributed throughout Europe, we can not find 2 similar, their coloring varies considerably and is specific to each individual.
On the other hand, depending on the habitat, one can recognize about ten subspecies.
- Salamandra salamandra terrestris, widespread in France, has two parallel bands of yellow spots, sometimes in a continuous line;
- Salamandra salamandra salamandra, from the Alps, Carpathians, Balkans, has small spots;
- Salamandra salamandra fastuosa lives in the central Pyrenees, Cantabrian Mountains, with her the yellow predominates, in long and wide lines;
- Salamandra salamandra bechkovi will meet in Bulgaria;
- Salamandra salamandra crespoi, bejarae and almanzoris will be distributed in Spain. Among all these subspecies some have had to adapt to difficult climatic conditions.
The subspecies of Spain
Faced with heat and drought, the Salamanders of southern Europe no longer hibernate in winter, but in summer, burying themselves in cool, damp hiding places in the hottest months. Their adaptation also involves protecting their young.
The subspecies Salamandra salamandra bernardezi, in the North-West of Spain, will give birth to young Salamanders already formed, equipped with lungs, about twenty on average.
In Portugal and North-Western Spain, Salamandra salamandra gallaica, can return to the water to deposit its larvae, but also prolong its gestation, waiting for the larvae to finish their development internally, protecting them and freeing itself from the constraints of the aquatic environment.
Mountain species
The Spotted Salamander also has some European cousins adapted not to the heat, but to the cold. The Black Salamander, Salamandra atra, lives in the mountains of the Alps. Black, rarely spotted with yellow, thin, not very big, it lives in beech forests, seeks clearings and edges. It will be found in alpine meadows if scree slopes, hiding places, allow it to protect itself during the day and to hibernate in winter. Up in the mountains the good season is short, the Black Salamander has opted for maximum protection of its young. She will keep them inside her throughout their development, from the egg to the young Salamander. The gestation can last 2 to 3 years depending on the altitude, then only 2 young Salamanders will be born, already big, 4 to 5 cm, autonomous and resistant.
Human legends
Fascinating, mysterious, the Salamander is at the heart of many legends. It has a strange relationship with fire, able to cross it, to be reborn in it, even to extinguish it. Where does she get her magical powers? From its invincibility, from its venom, linked to its black and gold colors? From its habitat, when it emerges from under the stones of a fireplace, from a half-burned log? Or its appearance, closer to a dragon than a frog? And its ability to regenerate certain parts of its body, its exceptional longevity, do they also contribute to give it a special place in our imagination?
The Spotted Salamander and its numerous subspecies are widespread. They have adapted to a variety of habitats, even coming close to human dwellings offering suitable conditions.
