The spotted or spotted salamander is an elongated amphibian that many people mistakenly believe to be a lizard. Most people recognize it immediately by the yellow spots on its dark body. Their habitat is forests and they are most active at night when they leave their habitats. Newts love rain and humidity and only come out during the day when it starts to rain.
The salamander is a strictly protected taxon
It is a strictly protected amphibian from the salamander family, which usually grows to a maximum length of 25 centimeters. It is an almost black animal with small or large yellow spots on its body. Its elongated body has short legs, but that’s why it has a relatively long tail.
Its short legs make it difficult to move, so it moves slower on the ground, but it has the ability to stick its legs to the ground in case it feels threatened, so it escapes by crawling quickly, similar to a snake. His tail is especially useful for swimming in the water he loves so much.
Since the spotted salamander’s favorite habitat is the forest, it finds its place to live under various stones and trees, but also under leaves, but it is important that the habitat is moist and cool. His favorite part of the day is night, but at the first drop of rain he comes out during the day.
The salamander feeds on small animals and relies entirely on its sense of smell. Its favorite food is snails, insects and vipers, but it does not hesitate to hunt young frogs. Since the salamander does not move much and does not use much energy, it does not need much food. Therefore, he does not eat very often and in conditions where there is a lot of food, he saves it and stores it as fat so that he has enough for “dry” periods.
All these animals live in such habitats, especially if they are near watercourses. His favorite forests are deciduous and mixed, because they have a sufficiently high percentage of moisture.
Photo: WikipediaReproduction and defense
Newts hibernate as soon as it gets cold (October, November) and wake up in early spring. In mountainous areas, the awakening occurs only two months later, because it is colder there.
In order to reproduce, salamanders must have water nearby because that is where they lay their larvae after fertilization on land. Cold and clear streams are their favorite, but they will also put them in some other standing water if necessary.
Newts have an excellent defense system consisting of parotid glands that are poisonous and irritate the eyes of the rare attackers who attempt to attack the newt and are not repulsed by its markings.
Salamander in Croatia
In Croatia, there is a decree on the protection of amphibians, and the spotted salamander is a protected species, as is the black salamander. It is particularly protected against the capture and possession of domestic animals and against the destruction of their habitats and litters.
A particular danger for salamanders is the use of pesticides near their habitats, because their skin is extremely thin and has no protective membrane (not even scales, feathers, etc.), so it absorbs everything from the environment. For the same reason, they hide from UVB rays that penetrate through their skin.