The Fire Salamander (Salamandra salamandra) is a small European amphibian featured in the Europe Pack DLC of Planet Zoo.
Zoopedia Description[]
General[]
Population in the Wild: Unknown
The fire salamander (or Salamandra salamandra) is an amphibian living in the decidious forests throughout mainland Europe. Its skin is black with yellow spots, although there can be much variation in their patterning. Fire salamanders are between 6in to 12in long and weight approximately 1.05oz to 1.75oz. Males and females do not differ in size or appearance. While larvae are aquatic, adults cannot swim and spend their lives on solid ground. The fire salamander is not endangered.
Social[]
Fire salamanders are solitary in the wild but are generally tolerant of other individuals if enough space, mates and food are available, Males may be aggressive towards each other if disputing territory or access to mates.
Reproduction[]
In the mating season, males will attempt to locate females who are moving through their territory. Once the male has found a mate, he will present her with a spermatophore: a jelly like cone containing his sperm. The female will take the spermatophore into her cloaca. Fire salamanders are promiscuous, meaning the male may leave multiple spermatophores for females he meets, and females may accept sperm from multiple males.
The female may undergo delayed implantation based on when environmental conditions are most favorable, which can be up to 2 to 5 months after mating. Female fire salamanders often gestate during hibernation, during which time the eggs will develop inside the female. By the time she is ready to give birth, she will deliver live young, called larvae. For this, she must find an area of water shallow enough for her to crawl out, as adult fire salamanders can't swim well. She may go to several pools over several days to release between 20 to 75 larvae.
Fire salamander larvae are 1in long and already have fully developed limbs. They have gills, and unlike adults require water to survive. Their larval stage lasts a minimum of 4 weeks but depending on environmental conditions this may last longer. Once they begin to lose their gills they will leave the water. At an age of 3 to 6 months, again depending on environmental conditions, fire salamanders reach sexual maturity.
Animal Care[]
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Trivia[]
Zoopedia Fun Facts[]
- Fire salamanders are mostly found under damp decaying leaf matter on the ground.
- The bright coloration of the fire salamander indicates toxicity; they secrete a neurotoxin called 'salamandrin' through the skin, which can cause muscle convulsions, difficulty breathing, high blood pressure and death. Unless ingested however, this toxin is generally not dangerous to humans.
- According to legend, the fire salamander received its name because it was born in fires. Most likely they were hiding on wood that humans gathered to build fires, and then tried to escape the flames by crawling out of the embers.
- Fire salamanders tend to stay in the same home range for many years, some even returning to the same spots for their winter hibernation.
- In most subspecies of fire salamander offspring develops in eggs inside the female, to be born as live aquatic larvae. Howver, the 'fastuosa' and 'bernardezi' varieties can give birth to fully metamorphosized young, skipping the aquatic stage.
Other Trivia[]
- The Fire Salamander was the first salamander added to Planet Zoo, the second being the Axolotl.
- The Fire Salamander is the first (and so far only) animal to have a temperate exhibit.
Gallery[]
