Best Salamander

The Yunnan Lake Newt (Cynops wolterstorffi) was a small aquatic salamander endemic exclusively to Kunming and the surrounding waters of Dianchi Lake in Yunnan Province, China. Males of the species displayed distinctive coloration with dark backs and bright orange undersides. Classified as extinct by...

The Red Hills Salamander (Phaeognathus hubrichti) is a large, terrestrial lungless salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is strictly endemic to the Red Hills region of south-central Alabama, where it inhabits steep, moist, shaded slopes dominated by hardwood trees. The species is classified as...

The Yonahlossee Salamander (Plethodon yonahlossee) is a large lungless salamander belonging to the family Plethodontidae. It is native to the Appalachian Mountains, specifically the Blue Ridge region of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Adults are distinguished by a rust-red or chestnut-color...

The Austin Blind Salamander (Eurycea waterlooensis) is a permanently aquatic, cave-dwelling salamander endemic to Travis County, Texas. As a troglobitic species, it lacks functional eyes and relies on specialized sensory organs to navigate the dark underground aquatic environments of the Edwards Aqu...

The Himalayan newt (Tylototriton verrucosus) is a species of salamander belonging to the family Salamandridae. It is native to the eastern Himalayas, with populations found across northeastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, and parts of Southeast Asia. This amphibian features a distinctive dark brown or blac...

Anderson's crocodile newt is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae, endemic to the subtropical Ryukyu Islands of Japan. It is characterized by its dark, warty skin and prominent orange or yellow dorsal ridges that resemble a crocodile's rough back. These amphibians are terrestrial for...

The Lake Urmia Newt (Neurergus urmianus) is a salamander in the family Salamandridae endemic to the Zagros Mountains within the Lake Urmia basin of northwestern Iran. It is an aquatic-breeding species that relies on clear, cool mountain streams and springs for reproduction. The newt faces severe pop...

Lanza's salamander is a large, fully terrestrial amphibian in the family Salamandridae, endemic to the high-altitude Cottian Alps on the border of France and Italy. It was recognized as a distinct species in 1975 and is characterized by its predominantly black skin, which sometimes features irregula...

Plethodon shenandoah, a federally endangered lungless salamander confined to three talus slopes in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, among the most range-restricted vertebrates in eastern North America.

The sword-tailed newt (Cynops ensicauda) is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae endemic to the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, specifically on Amami and Okinawa. It is distinguished by the breeding male's elongated, sword-like tail tip, which is used during courtship displays. Like other sp...

The Mount Lyell Salamander (Hydromantes platycephalus) is a lungless salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the high-elevation Sierra Nevada mountains of California, specifically found in alpine and subalpine zones. The species relies on granite rock outcrops, talus slopes, and un...

The Caucasian Salamander (Mertensiella caucasica) is a terrestrial salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is strictly endemic to the western Caucasus mountains, primarily found in Georgia and adjacent regions of northeastern Turkey. The species favors humid, forested mountain valleys with abunda...

The Mud Salamander (Pseudotriton montanus) is a stout, red-to-salmon-colored salamander of the eastern United States, inhabiting muddy seeps, bogs, and slow streams of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains.

The Vietnamese crocodile newt (Tylototriton vietnamensis) is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae, first scientifically identified in 2005 and endemic to the subtropical forests of northern Vietnam. The amphibian features a predominantly black body covered in prominent, rough rib nodu...

The Kurdistan newt (Neurergus derjugini) is an endangered amphibian belonging to the family Salamandridae. It is native to mountain streams and aquatic habitats in the Kurdistan region, with its range spanning the border areas of Iran and Iraq. This species is physically distinguished by its dark bo...

The Near Eastern fire salamander (Salamandra infraimmaculata) is a large terrestrial amphibian distributed across the mountainous regions of the Levant, Turkey, and parts of Iran. Like other members of its genus, it displays distinct aposematic coloration, featuring a glossy black base skin disrupte...

The Red-legged Salamander (Plethodon shermani) is a lungless amphibian belonging to the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the Appalachian region, specifically restricted to the Unicoi Mountains along the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. The species is readily identified by the distinct...

A critically endangered cave-adapted plethodontid (Hydromantes shastae) endemic to a small region of limestone caves in Shasta County, California, with one of the most restricted ranges of any US salamander.

The Jollyville Plateau Salamander (Eurycea tonkawae) is a federally threatened, permanently aquatic amphibian belonging to the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the karst geology of the Jollyville Plateau in Travis County, Texas, where it strictly inhabits spring-fed streams and subterranean c...

The Paddle-tail Newt is an aquatic amphibian belonging to the genus Pachytriton within the family Salamandridae. It is native to the freshwater mountain streams of southern China. The species is physically distinguished by its laterally compressed, paddle-shaped tail, which is anatomically adapted t...

The Tennessee Cave Salamander (Gyrinophilus palleucus) is a permanently neotenic amphibian belonging to the family Plethodontidae. It is strictly endemic to the subterranean cave streams of the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee and adjacent regions. Adapted to life in complete darkness, this species l...

The Georgetown Salamander (Eurycea naufragia) is a federally threatened, permanently aquatic amphibian belonging to the family Plethodontidae. It is known only from a small number of limestone springs located in Williamson County, Texas, near the city of Georgetown. Like other lungless salamanders,...

The Chinese warty newt (Paramesotriton chinensis) is a species of semi-aquatic salamander belonging to the family Salamandridae. It is native to the slow-moving streams and riparian habitats of southeastern China, including Guangdong, Fujian, and Hunan provinces. This amphibian is noted for its prom...

The Limestone Salamander (Hydromantes brunus) is a rare, lungless amphibian belonging to the family Plethodontidae. It is strictly endemic to a small area of limestone outcrops in Mariposa County, California, primarily within the Merced River canyon. This species relies on moist, rocky crevices to s...

The Japanese clawed salamander (Onychodactylus japonicus) is a species of amphibian in the family Hynobiidae native to the mountainous streams of Japan. As a lungless species, it breathes entirely through its skin and is distinguished by the small, dark, keratinous claw-like tips on its digits. Thes...

The Berry Cave Salamander (Gyrinophilus gulolineatus) is a large, cave-adapted species of lungless salamander endemic to the Appalachian Valley and Ridge region of eastern Tennessee. It is known exclusively from a small number of limestone cave systems in Roane County and adjacent areas. This fully...

The Cheat Mountain salamander (Plethodon nettingi) is a small, terrestrial lungless salamander federally listed as a threatened species in the United States. It possesses a highly restricted geographic range, occurring only in the high-elevation red spruce forests of the Allegheny Mountains in easte...

The Hong Kong warty newt (Paramesotriton hongkongensis) is a medium-sized salamandrid amphibian native to the coastal mountain streams of Hong Kong and neighboring Guangdong province. It possesses a heavily granulated or warty dark brown skin, which distinguishes it from other smoother-bodied newt s...

The imitator salamander (Desmognathus imitator) is a small, terrestrial lungless salamander belonging to the family Plethodontidae. Endemic to the Appalachian Mountains, it is restricted primarily to the Great Smoky Mountains along the Tennessee-North Carolina border. This species is biologically no...