The vertebrate fauna in Cantabria presents a wide diversity due to the variety of ecological niches existing in the region and its geographical position, equidistant between the Mediterranean region of the south of the peninsula and the nearby Atlantic Europe.
These lists include all the wild vertebrates living in Cantabria, classified according to the genus and family they belong to. In addition to the scientific name of each species, the common name in the Spanish language, the vernacular names most commonly used in this region, a brief description, a map of distribution in Spain and the conservation status are also included.
The herpetofauna of Cantabria is composed of a significant number of species. Some of them are Iberian endemisms, such as the Iberian painted frog, the Moller's tree frog, the Iberian frog, the gold-striped salamander, the Bedriaga's skink, the Iberian rock lizard, the Iberian emerald lizard and the Baskian viper, while others, such as the red-eared slider, the Italian wall lizard, the gecko or the Tenerife gecko are species introduced by people. Their distribution is variable; from species such as the common toad or the viperine snake, found throughout the region, to others such as the Italian wall lizard or the gold-striped salamander, which are very difficult to spot.
Amphibian In Cantabria there are fifteen species of amphibians of the Anura and Caudata orders, all of them intimately linked to the aquatic environments: wetlands, mountain rivers, seasonal ponds, lakes, lagoons, lagoons, coastal lagoons, marshes, and others, where they spend all or part of their lives. The families represented are: Alytidae, Bufonidae, Hylidae, Pelodytidae, Ranidae and Salamandridae. Some of these species are widely distributed, such as the fire salamander, the alpine newt or the midwife toad, while others, such as the parsley frog or the Iberian frog, are very scarce or, in the case of the gold-striped salamander, practically non-existent.
In relation to conservation, amphibian populations in Cantabria, as in the rest of the world, are suffering a marked decline, mainly due to habitat loss, diseases and climate change.
Anura order Anurans, commonly known as frogs and toads, are characterized (in their adult phase) by their compact body, lacking tails and possessing highly developed hind legs, adapted for jumping. Five families are found in Cantabria, comprising ten species. Alytidae Fitzinger, 1843SpeciesCommon and vernacular name (VN)The vernacular name refers to the traditional name of the species in Cantabria. The main references for vernacular names are, unless otherwise indicated in the table, El lenguaje popular de la Cantabria Montañesa and the vocabulary section of the book El dialecto cabuérnigo.DistributionDescriptionThe following codes are used:
L: Length without tail Lt: Length with tail T: Length of tail W: Weight When there is variability in the measurements, the most common range is indicated separated by a hyphen and in parentheses, the punctual records that are out of that range.StatusConservation status of the species at the Spanish State level according to the Atlas and Red Books:
: Extinct : Extinct in the wild (only in captivity) : Critically endangered : Endangered : Vulnerable : Near threatened : Least concern : Data deficientImageAlytes obstetricansCommon midwife toadFrequent throughout the region.L: 5 cm Toad of small size, bulky appearance and large head. The skin is granular with small warts grouped on the sides. Its coloration varies from gray to brown with green, reddish and black spots not very marked; the ventral area is light. Males carry eggs on their backs.Discoglossus galganoiIberian painted frogScarce and irregularly distributed.L: 4.5-7.5 cm Toad with flattened head, almost as long as wide, and pointed snout. The skin is smooth or with small granulations of very variable coloration, ranging from brownish, pinkish, greenish or almost black.Bufonidae Gray, 1825Bufo bufoCommon toadVN: Common to all the toads (Spanish): Sapo, quico.Regular presence in the whole regionL: 8-13 cm Body covered with wart-like protuberances. The color of its skin varies between a wide range of brownish, grayish and greenish tones. Its eyes are orange. It presents a marked sexual dimorphism, females are much larger than males.Epidalea calamitaNatterjack toadL: 5-6(9) cm Of robust appearance and large hind legs, it is distinguished from the common toad by a yellow stripe along the column. They have a strange gait.Hylidae Rafinesque, 1815Hyla arboreaEuropean tree frogHabitual in coastal areas.L: 4.5-5 cm Easily recognizable by their intense bright green color. With a broad head, large eyes and slender limbs adapted to jumping, they have lines ranging from brown to black drawn along the sides.Hyla molleriIberian tree frogHabitual in coastal areas.L: 3.5-5 cmSmall climbing frog with smooth, generally green skin, often seen climbing phragmites and other riparian vegetation. As they begin to croak when rain is approaching, it was formerly used as a barometer.Pelodytidae Bonaparte, 1850Pelodytes punctatusCommon parsley frogL: 4.5 cm It has elongated warts on the back, often in rows along the body.Ranidae Rafinesque, 1814Pelophylax pereziIberian waterfrogNV: (in Spanish) Ranu (young frog).Present in non-mountainous areas.L: 8 (11) cm Skin is green and brown very variable in color, with black spots and a lighter green dorsal line and without the characteristic temporal spot of brown frogs. The belly is grayish in color.Rana ibericaIberian frogL: 3-6 cm Mountain frog with a reddish-brown color. Found in streams and pools of cold water on rocky substrate and among riparian vegetation.Rana temporariaCommon frogNV: (in Spanish) Rana de los prados.L: 6-9 cm Despite its name, its coloration can vary between reddish-brown, ochre and greenish tones. It lives on land and returns to the water for shelter and reproduction.
Caudata order Unlike anurans, the caudates have an elongated body with a tail, both in the larval and adult stages. This order is represented in the region by five species: Ichthyosaura alpestris, Chioglossa lusitanica, Lissotriton helveticus, Salamandra salamandra and Triturus marmoratus. Two of them, Ichthyosaura alpestris and Lissotriton helveticus, are only found in Spain, in the northern fringe. SpeciesCommon and vernacular name (VN)DistributionDescriptionStatusImageSalamandridae Goldfuss, 1820Ichthyosaura alpestrisAlpine newtScarce in the whole region.Lt. <11 cm One of the smallest aurodeles in Europe. The male has a unique coloring during the mating season.Chioglossa lusitanicaGold-striped salamanderLt: 13 (16) cm It is distinguished from all other species of Iberian aurodeles by the size of its tail, which exceeds that of the rest of the body. It is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula.Lissotriton helveticusPalmate newtPresent in the whole region.Lt: < 9 cm The smallest of the Iberian newts. Brownish back with spots, white throat and yellow belly. Its common name is due to the interdigital membranes of the hind legs.Salamandra salamandraFire salamander NV: (in Spanish) Vicaruela, bicaruelu, vacariza, escurpión, mamavacas.Lt: 18-25 cm Quite common species with characteristic yellow spots on a black background. Thick body and relatively short tail, without dorsal or caudal crest.Triturus marmoratusMarbled newtSparse and scarce throughout the region.Lt: 15-16 cm Its green coloration distinguishes it from other European newts. During the breeding season, the green becomes more vivid and the male acquires a large dorsal crest dotted with white, black and orange vertical stripes.
Reptiles Reptiles originated from amphibians in the Carboniferous period, being the first animals to possess well-developed lungs. They are characterized by a tough and generally scaly skin. In Cantabria there are two orders of reptiles: Testudines (turtles and chelonians) and Squamata (squamates), which group together twenty-seven different reptile species.
Testudines Order Known as turtles or chelonians, the species of the order Testudines are characterized by a short, broad trunk and a carapace or shell that protects the internal organs of the body. The carapace has a head and front legs at the front and hind legs and a tail at the back. SpeciesCommon and vernacular name (VN)DistributionDescriptionStatusImageCheloniidae Oppel, 1811Caretta carettaLoggerhead sea turtleW: 65-107 kg L: 82-109 cm They have fins with two claws, large round head with a very thick beak. The carapace is smooth in adults and dark brown to orange-yellow in color. In juveniles it is dark brown and rougher. The back is a cream color.Lepidochelys kempiiKemp's ridley sea turtleW: 45 kg L: 61-91 cm
Turtle with a greenish-gray carapace and a greenish-yellow and white breastplate. Like other sea turtles, it has a corneous beak.Dermochelyidae Fitzinger, 1843Dermochelys coriaceaLeather back sea turtleL: up to 270 cm It is the largest of all turtles. Its carapace, smooth and dark, is formed by a smooth connective tissue delimited by a soft curve that gives a semi-cylindrical appearance to the animal. It has seven ridges running from head to tail. Front flippers are much longer than in all other turtles. Hook-shaped beak.Geoemydidae Theobald, 1868Mauremys leprosaIbearian pond turtleL: 15 (20) cm Carapace flattened, with the vertebral keel slightly prominent, green, brown or brown. Yellow plastron, sometimes with black spots. It has orange or reddish lines on the neck.Emydidae Rafinesque, 1815Trachemys scripta elegansRed-eared sliderL: 12-20 (40) cm Green or brownish carapace and light yellow plastron. They have characteristic red or yellow spots at the back of the eyes. Females are slightly larger than males.
Squamata order The Squamata order includes lizards, chameleons, iguanas, serpents and snakes among others. Evolutionarily, it is the most recent order of reptiles and the one that has achieved the greatest ecological success, due, among other qualities, to the presence of a kinetic skull that facilitates the swallowing of prey. Twenty-two species are found in Cantabria, grouped into six families: Scincidae, Lacertidae, Gekkonidae, Anguidae, Colubridae and Viperidae. Some, such as the Iberian rock lizard (Iberolacerta monticola) or the Seoanei viper (Vipera seoanei) are endemic to the north of the peninsula, while others, such as the Italian wall lizard (Podarcis sicula), the common wall gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) or the Tenerife gecko (Tarentola delalandii), have been introduced by people. SpeciesCommon name and vernacular name (VN)DistributionDescriptionStatusImagenScincidae Gray, 1825Chalcides bedriagaiBedriaga's skink NV: (in Spanish) Eslabón, enano, nánago, enánago, inano, ánago, anagón.Small sized lizard, with a small, triangular, broadened head and rounded snout. Short and thick body with rounded or quadrangular section, covered with smooth and shiny scales. Small limbs, tail of circular section of lesser length than the body.Chalcides striatusWestern three-toed skink NV: (in Spanish) Eslabón, enano, nánago, enánago, inano, ánago, anagón.Very similar to the Bedriaga's skink, whose main difference is that it has only three toes on each limb.Lacertidae Gray, 1825Iberolacerta monticolaIberian rock lizardMedium-sized lizard, robust appearance and relatively flattened head. The back is brownish or bright green with black reticulation, the belly is whitish, bluish or greenish-yellow with black spots. Blue axial ocelli.Timon lepidusOcellated lizard NV: (in Spanish, common to all lizards) Legarto/u, regartezón.L: 22.5 cm. Lt: 75.5 cm; 59.4 cm (female).