AnimalsThe fire salamander is glossy black with bright yellow markings, which warn that its skin gives off poison. It hides under logs by day and comes out on wet nights.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Salamandra salamandra
- Group
- Amphibians
- Diet
- Carnivore (eats other animals)
- Lives in
- Europe
- Habitat
- Damp woodland
- A young one is called
- larva
- A group is called
- no special name
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Amphibia
- Order Caudata
- Family Salamandridae
- Genus Salamandra
- Species Salamandra salamandra
More distant relatives in the order Caudata: axolotl.
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The fire salamander is listed as Vulnerable. The species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.