NATURA SLOVENIAE 25(1): 49-50 Prejeto / Received: 20. 2. 2023 
FIELD NOTE Sprejeto / Accepted: 11. 4. 2023 
 
DOI: 10.14720/ns.25.1.49-50 
 
 Biotehniška fakulteta Univerze v Ljubljani in Nacionalni inštitut za biologijo, Ljubljana, 2023 
Confirmation of the alpine 
salamander Salamandra atra 
(Laurenti, 1768) on Slovenian 
side of the Gorjanci Mountains 
 
Potrditev planinskega močerada 
Salamandra atra (Laurenti, 1768) na 
slovenski strani Gorjancev 
 
Primož PRESETNIK, Center za kartografijo favne in 
flore, Ljubljana Office, Tacenska cesta 20,  
1210 Ljubljana-Šentvid, Slovenia; E-mail: 
primoz.presetnik@ckff.si 
Maks PETRIČ, Speleoclub Šaleški jamarski klub 
Podlasica Topolšica 
Matjaž ČUK, Speleoclub Klub jamarjev Kostanjevica 
na Krki 
Milan VOGRIN, Zg. Hajdina 83c, 2288 Hajdina 
 
The alpine salamander (Salamandra atra) lives in 
Slovenia mostly above the forest border. However, 
it can also be found as low as 500 m a. s. l. (Vek et 
al. 2019). Observations in the Julian Alps, 
Karavanke Mountains, Kamniško-Savinjske Alps, 
Trnovska planota plateau and along Dinaric 
mountains towards Mt. Snežnik are common  
(Vek et al. 2019). Therefore, S. atra has Alpine and 
Dinaric distribution in Slovenia (IUCN 2023, Fig. 1). 
A seemingly disjunct population of S. atra lives also 
in the Gorjanci Mountains, situated in Southeastern 
Slovenia (Vogrin 1997), where one animal was 
found on 23. 5. 1994 in the virgin beech forest 
Gorjanci - Trdinov vrh (lat. 45.800600, long. 
15.450350, 1050 m a. s. l.) by the last author of this 
notice. Additionally, there are two sites of the 
species near the state border on the Croatian side 
of the Gorjanci Mountains (Croatian name 
Žumberak Mountains); first in the Tomaševićka pit 
(870 m a. s. l.; Kletečki 1990) and second in the 
Kuta virgin forest (800-900 m a. s. l.; Jeran et al. 
2011). It seems that the species is rare in that area 
(Jeran et al. 2011).  
 
On 29. 10. 2022, a team of speleologists of the 
Šaleški jamarski klub Podlasica Topolšica Speloclub 
accompanied speleologists from the Kostanjevica na 
Krki Speleoclub during their visit of the Gorjanc Cave 
(lat. 45.800597, long. 15.450349, 760 m a. s. l.,  
Fig. 1), a several hundred-metre-long and deep 
 
Figure 1. Distribution of the alpine salamander (Salamandra atra) in Slovenia and its neighbouring countries and its 
records in the Gorjanci Mountains. General distribution according to IUCN (2023), Croatian sites in the Gorjanci 
Mountains according to Jeran et al. (2011). Map was prepared by Ali Šalamun. 
Slika 1. Razširjenost planinskega močerada (Salamandra atra) v Sloveniji in sosednjih državah ter najdišča na Gorjancih. 
Splošna razširjenost glede na IUCN (2023), najdišča na hrvaški strani Gorjancev glede na Jeran et al. (2011). Karto je 
izdelal Ali Šalamun. 
50 Primož PRESETNIK et al.: Confirmation of the alpine salamander on Slovenian side of the Gorjanci … / FIELD NOTE 
NATURA SLOVENIAE 25(1): 49-50 
cave, with approximately 1.7 × 2 m wide entrance 
(Fig. 2a). At a depth of 30 m, on the ledge of the 
entrance pit, they photographed a salamander, 
which was later determined as S. atra (Fig. 2b). 
 
The Gorjanc Cave is just 750 m afar from the closest 
site of S. atra in the Kuta virgin forest, 2 km from 
the Tomaševićka pit and 11 km from the Gorjanci 
virgin forest (Fig. 1). It is situated at the lowest but 
still quite similar altitude and in similar environment 
of a beach forest than the other sites. This indicates 
a possible S. atra continuous area along the peaks 
of the Gorjanci Mountains connected with the old-
growth beech forests. To the best of our knowledge, 
the population of S. atra in the Gorjanci Mountains 
is approximately 60 km East – NorthEast away from 
the closest sites on Mt. Snežnik (Fig. 1). However, 
we do not exclude a possibility of additional findings 
of the species between these two areas, as there 
are enough higher-altitude beech forests, which 
may be a suitable habitat for this species. It is 
interesting to note that the first Croatian 
observation is also from a cave (Kletečki 1990), and 
only intense focused research by Jeran et al. (2011) 
contributed to additional observations. Therefore, 
we assume that focused surveys could contribute 
also to further sightings of S. atra also on the 
Slovenian side of the Gorjanci Mountains. 
 
References 
 
IUCN 2023. Salamandra atra. The IUCN Red List of 
Threatened Species. IUCN SSC Amphibian 
Specialist Group. Version 2022: 
e.T19843A89706038; [accessed 29. 1. 2023]. 
doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.20221.RLTS.T19843A8 
9706038.en  
Jeran N, Đurić P, Žganec K. 2011. Finding of the 
Alpine salamander (Salamandra atra Laurenti, 
1768; Salamandridae, Caudata) in the Nature 
Park Žumberak - Samoborsko gorje (NW 
Croatia). Hyla. 1: 35-46. 
Kletečki E. 1990. New finding of the alpine 
salamander (Salamandra atra Laurenti, 1768; 
Salamandridae: Caudata) in Croatia. Arhiv 
bioloških nauka. 42(1-2): p. 5. 
Vek M, Kirbiš N, Lešnik A, editors. Vek M, Dajčman 
U, Pekolj A, Zamuda LL, Bolčina A, Osojnik N, 
Kirbiš N. 2019. Dvoživke in plazilci visokogorja 
Slovenije (Življenje okoli nas). Ljubljana (SI): 
Center za kartografijo favne in flore, Miklavž na 
Dravskem polju, Herpetološko društvo – 
Societas herpetologica slovenica. 
Vogrin N. 1997. An overview of the herpetofauna of 
Slovenia. Bulletin - British Herpetological 
Society (1980). 58: 26-35. 
 
  
Figure 2. The entrance pit of the Gorjanc Cave (left) and the alpine salamander Salamandra atra found approximately 
30 m below the entrance (right; photo: Matjaž Čuk). 
Slika 2. Vhodno brezno jame Gorjanc (levo) in planinski močerad Salamandra atra najden približno 30 m pod vhodom 
(desno; foto: Matjaž Čuk).