The Golden-striped Salamander (Chioglossa lusitanica) is without doubt one of Europe’s most amazing salamander species. It has a slender body and huge tail which can grow up to 2,5 times the length of head and body. This species is able to shed its tail when feeling threatened, just like lizards do. It is the only species in the genus Chioglossa and the IUCN classiefied it as vulnerable. They are very good climbers and live near rocky streams with clear water in west Iberia, where they only occur in locations with an average yearly precipitation of 1000mm or more.
It was not easy to photograph these surprisingly fast animals with such a long tail, but I managed to get some pictures of them anyway: 
Great photos and a wonderful salamander! Really wish there were a few more salamander species here in Sweden…
Check out our photos of reptiles and amphibans.