IRON TONGUE doesn't play — it conquers. The hardened warrior-frog with a titanium tongue fires incendiary shots in every direction simultaneously. Bug formations don't stand a chance against this relentless all-terrain amphibian destroyer!
The fire salamander earned its name from the ancient belief that it could survive fire — and even extinguish flames. People thought salamanders were born from fire because they'd emerge from burning logs (where they'd been hiding).
Fire salamanders secrete samandarin from glands on their back and head — a potent alkaloid neurotoxin that causes muscle convulsions and high blood pressure in predators. Their yellow markings warn: 'I am dangerous, stay away.'
Unlike most amphibians that breed in water, fire salamanders are most active on rainy nights, hunting worms and slugs. They give birth to live young (not eggs) in cold mountain streams.
Fire salamanders live in cool, moist forests of Europe and Asia Minor, often in mountainous regions. They can live for over 25 years — exceptionally long for a small amphibian — surviving harsh alpine winters by hibernating deep underground.