ARCHIVED - Rare long-snouted salamander spotted in the Alhambra after 40 year-long absence
Contamination led the amphibians to disappear from Granada’s Darro river decades ago
A specimen of the Penibetic or long-snouted salamander (Salamandra longirostris), a protected amphibian that hadn’t been seen along the Darro river in Granada for more than 40 years, has been spotted in an Alhambra irrigation channel.
Workers at the heritage site in Granada came across the specimen while clearing the irrigation channel, but they only saw one and it hasn’t yet been possible to determine if or where there may be breeding sites or even more specimens. However, it is still an important discovery as the species is the amphibian with the worst conservation status and the most endangered in the whole of the southeast area of Spain, so workers were ordered only to photograph and not touch this rare specimen.
The salamander, characterised by its deep black colour with bright yellow speckles, is not a dangerous amphibian but can cause a toxic reaction if touched. It was once a common inhabitant of the Jesús del Valle area and the Alhambra’s Cuesta de los Chinos, yet over time it disappeared as a consequence of increased use of chemical plant products, detergents, and other contaminants.
It is a large salamander, very similar to the fire salamander, with which it does not share a distribution area. The body is black with quadrangular yellow spots and some very characteristic spots on the head.
The snout is pointed and the belly greyish, without spots.
Image: Benny Trapp: Wikipedia