Eastern newt

Eastern newt

Eastern newt

Eastern newts or Red Spotted Newts (Notophthalmus viridescens) are common salamanders found in North America. They live in small lakes, ponds, and streams or near-by wet forests. Newts and salamanders fall under one of the three orders of the amphibia class, called Caudata or Urodela. Though newts belong to the salamander family, not all salamanders are newts. Actually, ‘newt’ is a common term used for those salamanders that spend most of their life living on land. They can coexist in an aquatic environment with small, non-carnivorous fish, however, their skin secretes a poisonous substance when the newt is threatened or injured. They have a lifespan of 12 to 15 years in the wild, and may grow to 5 inches in length. The newts are a common aquarium pet, being either collected from the wild or purchased. Eastern newts eat a variety of foods such as insects, small molluscs and crustaceans, young amphibians, and frog eggs. They also eat worms.