Amphibians
European Cave Salamander
Hydromantes strinatii · also called Strinati's cave salamander
Deep inside a limestone cave in the hills near the Italian-French border, a European cave salamander waits motionless on damp rock until an insect wanders close enough, then fires its tongue out to nearly its own body length in an instant. It has no lungs to spare for anything else — every breath comes through its skin, which is exactly why it never strays far from the cool, damp dark it depends on.
Overview
The European cave salamander, Hydromantes strinatii, is a lungless salamander native to limestone cave systems and damp rock habitat across northwestern Italy and southeastern France. It hunts using an exceptionally long, fast projectile tongue.
A narrow slice of the Riviera underground
Restricted to a relatively small stretch of cave-rich terrain along the Italian and French Riviera region, the European cave salamander’s fate is tied closely to the stability of the limestone caves it shelters in, making quarrying and cave disturbance genuine ongoing concerns.
Status
Near Threatened — under some pressure from limestone quarrying and cave disturbance within its narrow northwestern Italian and southeastern French range.
European Cave Salamander: common questions
How far can a European cave salamander's tongue actually reach?
The European cave salamander can rapidly project its tongue a considerable distance relative to its own body length, a specialised hunting adaptation shared with its closest relatives that allows it to strike prey from a distance without needing to physically approach or corner an insect first within its cave or rock crevice habitat.
Why does the European cave salamander have no lungs?
The European cave salamander belongs to a genus of lungless salamanders that breathe entirely through their moist skin and the lining of the mouth, an adaptation that works effectively in the consistently cool, damp cave and rock crevice conditions the species depends on, though it requires the salamander to remain in reliably moist habitat to keep gas exchange functioning.
Where exactly is the European cave salamander found?
The European cave salamander is native to a relatively narrow range across northwestern Italy and adjacent southeastern France, generally associated with limestone cave systems and nearby damp rock crevices and shaded forest habitat, a more limited distribution than some of its broader-ranging relatives elsewhere in Europe and North America.
Why is limestone quarrying a threat to the European cave salamander?
The European cave salamander depends on stable, undisturbed cave and rock crevice conditions with reliable temperature and humidity, so limestone quarrying, along with increased cave disturbance from tourism, can directly degrade or destroy the specific habitat the species needs, making it a particular concern within its already narrow natural range.