Salamander

I almost trod on this little chap who had no inclination to get out of the way and stayed on the path. I have never seen one before but was able to identify him fairly easily as a fire salamander. The fire salamander is a highly variable species, with many different colour patterns. Fire Salamanders are the most terrestrial of the salamandrids in France, and some varieties even deposit their fully-formed young on land - but having said that they are usually found in very damp conditions.