Salamandra Aurea

The Salamandra Aurea is a peculiar salamander mostly found near caves and underground lakes. Its name come from Latin and translates to golden salamander, which is easy to understand due to its striking yellow and sometimes orangish coloration. This golden coloration and the fact of being cave dwellers led ancient civilizations to wrongfully believe that the salamanders were a sign of nearby gold veins in the cave walls. Which led to many greedy miners to waste away their time and effort in search of nonexistent gold following these animals around in the hope of getting rich. Til this day some cultures still use the phrase "following the salamander" to describe a pointless action or persistence in a mistake. Besides its golden color, the Salamandra Aurea also posses a tail in the shape of a head, complete with two dark spots for eyes, to confuse predators. It is also quite feisty, many times preferring to fight instead of fleeing. Which one could argue only makes it look adorable.