Join in! The lost and found campaign for the protection of the fire salamander in Saxon Switzerland
Report fire salamanders seen by chance to us and make a valuable contribution to research and species
conservation!
The population of the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra ssp.) is declining in Germany. We are dependent on the help of the public in order to better study and thus protect this species. For targeted protection of the fire salamander, it is important to know where animals are currently still found in Saxon Switzerland. That is why we have joined forces with the Saxon Switzerland National Park Center and the HTW Dresden to launch the citizen science initiative “Fire salamander, where are you?”, which allows attentive nature observers to easily report spotted fire salamanders. The initiative is part of a
project funded by the Saxon State Ministry for Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Agriculture as part of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (ELER).
Report fire salamanders – here’s how:
Make a valuable contribution to species conservation and nature research by reporting all accidental
finds – including dead finds – with a photo and the place of discovery. Please follow the instructions in
the yellow box so to avoid harming the animals.
Photograph (the dorsal pattern should be clearly recognizable)
Note the location (GPS coordinates or exact description) so that the evidence is clear
Send one photo per individual with date and place of discovery:
* directly here in the online form
alternatively
* Via e-mail to nationalparkzentrum@smekul.sachsen.de
Black-yellow and famous
Popularly known as the “rain man”, it quickly becomes clear when you have the best chance of encountering a fire salamander yourself. This probably best-known native amphibian loves wet conditions and also copes well with low temperatures. For this reason, it can occasionally be observed even in mild winters before the actual salamander season begins in spring. The females then give birth to up to 70 gill-bearing larvae (larviparity), which are released into cool and clean waters. After 2-5 months, the juveniles leave the waters as fully developed fire salamanders. In some populations, however, fully developed juveniles are also born. Fire salamanders can live up to 50 years.
Threatened by the eater of salamanders
Until now, the dwindling populations of the fire salamander in Germany were considered to be largely safe. However, a skin fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (“eater of salamanders”, Bsal for short), presumably introduced from Asia via the pet trade, has already led to mass mortality in the Benelux countries and has been spreading in Germany since 2013. Bsal attacks both adult fire salamanders and larvae. Its zoospores remain highly infectious for several weeks in a moist environment. Various vectors (animals, humans) can spread them. Even if the fungus has not yet been reported in Saxony, the targeted screening of salamander populations as part of a detailed monitoring is important.
Saxon alliance for the protection of the fire salamander
Together with the Dresden University of Applied Sciences and the University of Leipzig, we are establishing a monitoring and early warning system to protect the fire salamander in the Saxon Switzerland National Park region as part of an initiative funded by the Saxon State Ministry of Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Agriculture. The Saxon populations are of particular importance for the protection of the species, as the highly aggressive pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), which was introduced to Germany in 2013, has not yet been detected here. Using standardized field surveys and a citizen science initiative, we examine historical and current fire salamander occurrences and develop models of habitat suitability and changes. In addition, we screen selected
populations for Bsal and characterize them in terms of population genetics. In this way, particularly vulnerable populations can be identified and protected through long-term monitoring.
Herpetologist by passion and tropical ecologist by training (or vice versa) I have been heading the herpetology section at the Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden since 2010. As animal ecologist I am interested in how phylogeny and ecology drive patterns of functional diversity in biological communities and how elucidating underlying processes can guide conservation management decisions. I have been engaged in tropical research, particularly in the Neo- and Afrotropics, for over two decades.
