Newt Family

Salamandridae

Newts have drier and rougher skin than most salamanders, and lack distinct costal grooves.  Few predators eat newts because they have bright warning colors (aposematic coloration) combined with toxic skin gland secretions.  Newts feed on a variety of invertebrates (insects, leeches, worms, mollusks, crustaceans, amphibian eggs and tadpoles).

Most newts are aquatic and are found in ponds, lakes, and pools near rivers and streams.  However, in some species, larvae transform into terrestrial efts for one to three years before transforming into an aquatic adult stage.  Occasionally, larvae transform directly into adults, skipping the eft stage.  Adult newts have smoother skin than efts and their tails are vertically compressed as compared to the eft’s round tail in cross-section.

During the breeding season, male newts develop a swollen cloaca, enlarged hind limbs with black horny structures on the inner thighs as well as toe tips, and broadly keeled tails.

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