# What Do Fire Salamanders Eat?

> What fire salamanders eat: Carnivore (insects, worms, slugs), foraging style, and seasonal shifts in Moist deciduous forest near streams.

- **Species:** Fire Salamander (*Salamandra salamandra*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Carnivore (insects, worms, slugs)
- **Habitat:** Moist deciduous forest near streams
- **Lifespan:** 15–20 years in the wild
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/fire-salamander/what-do-fire-salamander-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/fire-salamander/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The fire salamander is a striking black amphibian marked with bright yellow or orange patterns, native to the forests of central and southern Europe. Its bold coloring warns predators that its skin secretes toxins. Fire salamanders are long-lived for amphibians, often reaching 15 to 20 years.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## Behavior and defense

Fire salamanders are nocturnal and secretive, hiding under logs, stones, and leaf litter during the day and emerging on damp or rainy nights. Their vivid yellow-and-black pattern is aposematic, warning predators of the toxic secretions in their skin. When threatened, they can ooze or even spray a mild poison from glands behind the eyes.

## Help protect the Fire Salamander

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/fire-salamander/what-do-fire-salamander-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.