Rare fire salamanders threatened by fungus

This is a fire salamander video.

There is a Dutch TV video from the Bunderbos nature reserve. This forest is one of few places, in fact the species’ main stronghold, in the Netherlands where rare fire salamanders live.

These salamanders, and other Dutch amphibians, are now threatened by a fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. The fungus was brought to the Netherlands by importing American bullfrogs and African clawed frogs.

In Belgium, the fungus is killing amphibians.

Fire Salamanders occur all over France, while the Alps and Pyrenees add the rarer Alpine Salamander and Pyrenean Brook Salamander to the list of three.

Time and time again: unisexual salamanders (genus Ambystoma) are the oldest unisexual vertebrates: here.

The mating ritual of the giant South African bullfrog happens just once a year. The creatures are endangered by the housing developments popping up around Johannesburg and Pretoria: here.