The alpine salamander (Salamandra atra) is a shiny black salamander found in the Alps from the Swiss-French border at the western end of its range through Austria to the Dinaric Alps at the eastern end of its range, at altitudes above . The western Alps (in France) are inhabited by a similar species, Lanza's alpine salamander (Salamandra lanzai), in only one small area. No differences in length are seen between the sexes () and the sex ratio is 1:1. Their life expectancy is at least 10 years. Unlike other salamanders, whose larvae are developed in water, the alpine salamander is a fully terrestrial species. Capture-recapture methods suggest that the species is very stationary; was the maximum observed distance travelled by one individual during the summer season. About 120 individuals per hectare were counted in most suitable areas with >2000 individuals/ha also observed, suggesting that this rather cryptic species is quite abundant.