Great crested newt

Amphibian

The emperor salamander is endemic to a few streams in the western part of the Zagros Mountains in Iran. This means that it is the only place in the world where they are found in the wild. The emperor salamander lives in cold streams surrounded by mountains and forest. The females lay up to 60 eggs at a time, in a cluster on a rock or plant near the water. When the eggs hatch, they are larvae that develop into a salamander after 3-5 months. They reach sexual maturity after 2-4 years. The emperor salamander is currently classified as ”Vulnerable” by the IUCN Red List. This is mainly because their habitats are drying up and being destroyed, but also because humans capture them and keep them as pets. There is no conservation breeding programme for the species yet, but Parken Zoo is involved in the preparatory work so that we can start such a project in the future.

Project: Monitoring