Are Fire Salamanders Poisonous? Skin Toxins Explained

Where the poison comes from

The fire salamander carries its chemical defense in its skin. The biggest glands are the two bulging parotoid glands on the back of the head, just behind the eyes. Smaller glands form two rows along the back and sides and also occur on the tail.

The glands are concentrated in the yellow areas of the skin, so the warning colors and the poison are found in the same places. When the salamander is stressed or squeezed, the glands release a white, sticky secretion that tastes bitter and contains the toxins.

Fire salamanders make these compounds themselves. Research suggests they are built in the body from cholesterol and then stored in the skin glands. This is different from poison dart frogs, which obtain much of their poison from the ants and mites they eat; see why poison dart frogs are poisonous.

What is samandarin?

Samandarin (also spelled samandarine) is the main member of a family of steroid alkaloids found only in salamanders of the genus Salamandra. Chemists have described nine closely related compounds in this family, including samandarone. The exact mix varies from one salamander to another.

These substances act mainly on the nervous system of vertebrates. In laboratory animals, samandarin is extremely toxic and causes muscle convulsions, high blood pressure, rapid breathing and, at high doses, paralysis of breathing. Its toxicity was studied in detail by German chemists in the mid-20th century, who also worked out its unusual chemical structure.

The secretion seems to have a second use as well. Studies indicate that compounds in the skin can kill or slow the growth of some bacteria and fungi, which may help protect the salamander’s moist skin from infection.

Can fire salamanders spray their poison?

Fire salamanders cannot bite with venom, but they have an active defense. When threatened, a salamander may raise and arch its body, tilt its head to show the parotoid glands, and squeeze the glands so that the secretion oozes out. Some can squirt jets of it a short distance from the glands on the back toward an attacker.

A predator that grabs a fire salamander usually gets a mouthful of bitter, irritating toxin and lets go quickly. Many predators learn from one bad experience to avoid black-and-yellow animals in the future.

How dangerous is a fire salamander to predators?

The toxins work on all vertebrates, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and other amphibians. For a small predator such as a fox, marten or bird that bites or tries to swallow a fire salamander, the bitter secretion is an immediate deterrent, and swallowing the toxin can cause serious poisoning.

As a result, adult fire salamanders have very few natural predators. Their bright pattern is a classic example of aposematism, or warning coloration: an honest signal that says “I am toxic, leave me alone.” The salamanders can afford to walk slowly across open ground on rainy nights, protected more by their chemistry than by speed.

The larvae are a different story. They live in streams and do not yet produce the samandarine alkaloids, so fish such as trout, water beetles and dragonfly larvae eat many of them. The toxic glands develop as the young salamanders transform into land-living adults.

Is a fire salamander dangerous to people?

For people, the risk is low as long as you do not handle the animal. A brief touch of intact skin is not known to be dangerous, and there are no reliable reports of anyone being killed in this way. The danger comes if the secretion gets into the eyes, mouth, nose or a cut, or if the animal is swallowed. Then it can cause burning pain and irritation, and swallowing could cause serious poisoning.

Children are most at risk, because they are more likely to pick up a salamander and then rub their eyes or put their fingers in their mouth. If someone may have swallowed a salamander or its secretion, or feels unwell after contact, call 112 (EU), 999 (UK) or 911 (US) and seek emergency medical help immediately.

Why you should look but not touch

The most important reason not to touch fire salamanders is to protect them. Their thin, moist skin is easily damaged, and traces of sunscreen, insect repellent, soap or salt on human hands can harm it. Picking them up also stresses the animals.

Handling can spread disease too. The fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) has killed most fire salamanders in the Netherlands and many in Belgium and Germany, and it can be carried on hands, boots and equipment. In affected regions, people are asked not to touch salamanders and to clean and dry footwear between sites. Read more about this threat in why amphibians are declining.

The best way to enjoy a fire salamander is to watch it from a short distance on a rainy evening in the forest, take a photo without flash, and let it go on its way. If one is crossing a road, wait for it to cross rather than picking it up.

Fire salamanders compared with other poisonous amphibians

Many amphibians use skin toxins. Common toads produce bufotoxins in their parotoid glands; see are toads poisonous?. The most toxic amphibians are certain poison dart frogs of Central and South America, especially the golden poison frog, whose skin holds batrachotoxin, one of the most potent natural toxins known.

Among European amphibians, the fire salamander is one of the most strongly defended. Its relatives, such as newts, also have toxic skin but are usually less boldly colored. In North America, rough-skinned newts carry tetrodotoxin, the same nerve poison found in pufferfish.