Found only in northwestern Spain and northern Portugal, it is a true Iberian endemic, a species that exists nowhere else on Earth. What makes it instantly recognizable is the pair of shimmering golden stripes that run down the length of its dark, chocolate-brown body, as if it were painted with liquid sunlight. This elegant contrast gives the salamander an almost magical look, which has earned it a reputation as one of the most beautiful amphibians in Europe.

Unlike many salamanders that thrive in forests across wide ranges, the gold-striped salamander is a specialist of cool, damp mountain streams and shaded valleys. It lives in mossy forests, along brooks, and in wet meadows, always close to clean, running water. Unlike newts, it does not have flashy aquatic breeding displays—instead, it remains a creature of the shadows, moving silently among rocks and leaf litter by night.

Its lifestyle is as fascinating as its appearance. The gold-striped salamander is primarily nocturnal, hiding under logs, stones, or dense vegetation during the day to avoid drying out. At night, it emerges to hunt small invertebrates such as insects, spiders, and worms. Reproduction is unusual compared to many salamanders: the female lays small clutches of eggs not in water, but on land, in moist crevices or under moss near streams. The larvae then develop in the water, where they remain until metamorphosis, a life cycle tightly bound to the pristine streams of its mountain home.

Unfortunately, its beauty comes with vulnerability. The gold-striped salamander has a very limited distribution, and its dependence on clean, cool streams makes it especially sensitive to habitat loss, pollution, and climate change.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

Portugal

2023

Spain

2023