Although very common, particularly in the Algarve Hills, the Fire Salamander remains very hidden for most of its life but does venture into the open at night. After rainfall they can come out into the open even in the daytime, but I’ve never seen one in daylight.
I spotted this one heading under one of our terraces and into a Cat Bed, this is why it has cat hair stuck to it. I took a photo and then placed it in a much better location than the Cat bed!
This one was only around 10cm long, they can grow up to 25cm, I suspect it’s quite young.
{Click image(s) to view on Flickr - opens in new tab}They eat insects, young frogs and newts. They excrete a highly toxic toxin called Samandarin which although a lot would be required to harm a human, care should be taken if handled.