 In about 90 % of all species , fertilisation is internal . The male typically deposits a spermatophore on the ground or in the water according to species , and the female picks this up with her vent . The spermatophore has a packet of sperm supported on a conical gelatinous base , and often an elaborate courtship behavior is involved in its deposition and collection . Once inside the cloaca , the spermatozoa move to the spermatheca , one or more chambers in the roof of the cloaca , where they are stored for sometimes lengthy periods until the eggs are laid . In the most primitive salamanders such as the Asiatic salamanders and the giant salamanders , external fertilization occurs , instead . In these species , the male releases sperm onto the egg mass in a reproductive process similar to that of typical frogs . 
