Newts

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3.

newt - тритон
[njuːt]
European brook newt –
[jʊ(ə)rəˈpɪən brʊk njuːt]
Европейский тритон
fire belly newt –
огненнобрюхий тритон
[ˈfaɪə ˈbelɪ njuːt]

4.

Anderson's crocodile
newt – иглистый
[ˈændəs(ə)n'es ˈkrɒkədaɪl
njuːt]
тритон
smooth newt –
[smuːð njuːt]
обыкновенный тритон
emperor spotted newt
– пятнистый тритон
[ˈempərə ˈspɒtɪd njuːt]

5.

northern crested newt
[ˈnɔːðən ˈkrestɪd njuːt]
– гребенчатый тритон
black-spotted newt –
[blæk-ˈspɒtɪd njuːt]
чернопятнистый
тритон
California newt Калифорнийский
тритон
[kælɪˈfɔːnɪə njuːt]

6.

marbled newt -
[ˈmɑːb(ə)ld njuːt]
мраморный тритон
red-tailed knobby
newt – краснохвостый
тритон
[red-teɪld ˈnɒbɪ njuːt]

7.

Newt

8.

A newt is a salamander in the subfamily Pleurodelinae. The terrestrial juvenile phase
is called an eft. Unlike other members of the family Salamandridae, newts are
semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Not all aquatic
salamanders are considered newts, however. More than 100 known species of newts
are found in North America, Europe, North Africa and Asia. Newts metamorphose
through three distinct developmental life stages: aquatic larva, terrestrial juvenile,
and adult. Adult newts have lizard-like bodies and return to the water every year to
breed, otherwise living in humid, cover-rich land habitats.
Newts are threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation and pollution. Several species are
endangered, and at least one species, the Yunnan lake newt, has become extinct
recently.
Newts are found in North America, Europe, North Africa and Asia. The Pacific newts
and the Eastern newts with together seven species are the only representatives in
North America, while most diversity is found in the Old World: In Europe and the
Middle East, the group's likely origin, eight genera with roughly 30 species are found,
with the ribbed newts extending to northernmost Africa. Eastern Asia, from Eastern
India over Indochina to Japan, is home to five genera with more than 40 species.
Newts are semiaquatic, spending part of the year in the water for reproduction and
the rest of the year on land. While most species prefer stagnant water bodies such as
ponds, ditches or flooded meadows for reproduction, some species such as the
Danube crested newt can also occur in slow-flowing rivers.

9.

The European brook newts and European mountain newts have even adapted to life
in cold, oxygen-rich mountain streams. During their terrestrial phase, newts live in
humid habitats with abundant cover such as logs, rocks, or earth holes.
Newts share many of the characteristics of their salamander kin, Caudata, including
semipermeable glandular skin, four equal-sized limbs, and a distinct tail. The newt's
skin, however, is not as smooth as that of other salamanders. The cells at the site of an
injury have the ability to undifferentiate, reproduce rapidly, and differentiate again
to create a new limb or organ. One hypothesis is that the undifferentiated cells are
related to tumor cells, since chemicals that produce tumors in other animals will
produce additional limbs in newts.
The main breeding season for newts (in the Northern Hemisphere) is in June and
July. After courtship rituals of varying complexity, which take place in ponds or
slow-moving streams, the male newt transfers a spermatophore, which is taken up by
the female. Fertilized eggs are laid singly and are usually attached to aquatic plants.
This distinguishes them from the free-floating eggs of frogs or toads, which are laid
in clumps or in strings. Plant leaves are usually folded over and attached to the eggs
to protect them. The larvae, which resemble fish fry but are distinguished by their
feathery external gills, hatch out in about three weeks. After hatching, they eat algae,
small invertebrates, or other amphibian larvae.

10.

European brook newt

11.

The European brook newts, is a genus of newts native to the Pyrenees and central
Catalonia. These amphibians were formerly placed within genus Euproctus, but the
genus was resurrected in 2005. Instead of Euproctus, they seem more closely related to
Triturus, their sister taxon.
Newts are estimated to have split approximately 8 myr ago. This may have been
associated with adaptation to fast-running, well-oxygenated mountain streams,
leading to some superficial similarity with Euproctus in convergent evolution:
strongly depressed head and body, and reduction or even absence of lungs.
They are small- to medium-sized newts, 70–167 mm in total length. Skin is covered
with tubercles bearing horny tips, more so above than beneath, which can be
completely smooth. Limbs are moderate, with four fingers and five toes. Body is
rounded or slightly depressed. There is no cutaneous dorsal and caudal crest, not
even during the breeding season. Tail is about as long as head and body and
compressed from side; longer in females and deeper in males. Lungs are absent or
very reduced. Its natural habitats are oligotrophic, cold (under 15 °C) fast running
rivers; it seems to be a strictly aquatic species. Its population is supposed to be less
than 1,500 individuals with an estimated rate of decline of 15% during the last 10
years. The drying out of mountain streams, human alteration of its original habitat
and the global warming are threats to this species. Because of this, the International
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists it as "critically endangered".

12.

Fire belly newt

13.

The fire belly newt is a species of newt in the family Salamandridae endemic to Japan
and China. The fire belly newts are likely to be the more commonly collected newt
instead. It is extremely toxic - fatal within 6 hours - to humans and other animals.
This newt is usually 9–14 cm in length, and can be distinguished from its Chinese
relative by its larger size, rough and pebbly skin, and distinct parotoid glands. They
are typically brown to black above, often with red specks or spots, and orange to
crimson below, usually with a blotched, darker pattern. Males can be distinguished
from females by their swollen cloacae, and male newts of this species will often
assume a blue iridescent sheen and smoother skin during the breeding season.
In the wild, this species lives on the islands, in clear, cool bodies of water, usually
ponds, ditches, pools, or lakes. Reportedly, six subspecies are found through the
Japanese islands, each race originating from the region of Japan after which they are
named.
These newts are poisonous in the wild, but animals bred in captivity may lose their
toxicity. The skin of the wild animals contains tetrodotoxin, which is one of the most
effective known nonpeptide toxins. It is a neurotoxin with no known antidote, and
can cause death by suffocation in as quickly as six hours after ingestion. The toxin
could be formed by environmental bacteria, so could be the reason why some newts
in captivity have a lower toxicity than their wild counterparts.

14.

Anderson's crocodile newt

15.

Anderson's crocodile newt, Anderson's newt, Ryukyu spiny newt, or Japanese warty
newt is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae found in the Ryukyu
Islands of Japan, and, at least formerly, Mount Guanyin in northern Taiwan, where it
is now believed to be extinct.
It is a stout, flat salamander. Head is broad and triangular in shape. There are 12–15
conspicuous knob-like lateral glands. Colouration is uniformly dark brown or black,
only the underside of the tail, cloacal region, and the soles of the feet are yelloworange. The maximum size is at least 80 mm in snout–vent length and 169 mm in total
length.
Its natural habitats are broad-leaved evergreen forests, secondary forests, grasslands
and swamps. It has also been found in and near sugar cane fields. It breeds in
standing water such as ponds and temporary pools; outside breeding season it is
difficult to observe as adult salamanders live in leaf litter, in rocky crevices, and
under rocks and logs.
The newt is uncommon, and it is threatened by habitat loss and by collection for
illegal pet trade.

16.

Smooth newt

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The smooth newt, northern smooth newt or common newt is a species of newt. It is
widespread in much of Eurasia, from the British Isles to Siberia and northern
Kazakhstan, and introduced to Australia. Individuals are brown with an orange to
white, spotted underside and reach a length of 8–11 cm, with males being larger than
females. The skin is dry and velvety while the newts live on land but become smooth
when they migrate into water for breeding. Breeding males develop a more vivid
colour pattern and a conspicuous skin seam (crest) on their back.
Originally described by Carl Linnaeus as a lizard, the smooth newt went by different
genus names before the current classification in Lissotriton was adopted. Three
subspecies are currently accepted. Four former subspecies, all with more restricted
ranges, are now classified as separate species, as they are distinct in appearance and
genetically: the Caucasian, the Greek, Kosswig's and Schmidtler's smooth newt. The
smooth newt forms a species complex with these four species and the Carpathian
newt and hybridises with some of them.
Smooth newts live on land for most of the year, where they are mostly nocturnal and
hide during the day. They can adapt to a wide range of natural or semi-natural
habitats, from forests over field edges to parks and gardens. The newts feed mainly
on various invertebrates such as insects or earthworms and are themselves eaten by
predators such as fish, birds or snakes. Between spring and summer, they breed in
ponds or similar water bodies. Males court females with a ritualised underwater
display.

18.

Females then lay their eggs on water plants, and larvae hatch after 10 to 20 days. They
develop over around three months before metamorphosing into terrestrial juveniles.
Maturity is reached after two to three years, and adults can reach an age of up to 14
years.
Adult males of the smooth newt reach around 9–11 cm head-to-tail length and are
thus slightly larger than the females, which reach 8–9.5 cm. The body weight of adults
varies between 0.3 and 5.2 g, and decreases during the breeding season. The head is
longer than it is wide, with 2–3 longitudinal grooves on the top, and the elongated
snout is blunt in the male and rounded in the female. The skin is velvety and waterrepellent on land but smooth during the aquatic phase; it contains mucus and toxin
glands and its upper layer is shed off regularly.
Outside the breeding season, both sexes are yellow-brown, brown or olive-brown.
The male has dark, round spots, while the female has smaller spots of the same
colour, which sometimes form two or more irregular lines along the back. The male
has an orange strip on the tail underside, and the throat and belly in males are orange
to white with small dark, rounded spots (these are lighter with smaller spots in the
female). Size and colour vary with environment, and the newts tend to be smaller in
northern latitudes.

19.

Emperor spotted newt

20.

The Luristan newt, Kaiser's mountain newt, Kaiser's spotted newt or emperor spotted
newt, is a species of very colourful salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is
endemic to the southern Zagros Mountains in Iran where it is known from just four
streams. Populations of this newt have been declining and the International Union
for Conservation of Nature has rated it as "vulnerable". A captive breeding
programme has been established in several zoos.
The Luristan newt is endemic to the southern Zagros Mountains in Iran. It is
primarily found in highland streams surrounded by arid scrubland, but can also be
found in ponds and pools. It is known only from four streams in a single catchment
area and has a total inhabited area of 8,948 km2. In a recent study it was found that
the area of suitable habitat within their study area was 18,159 km2. Water is absent
from its habitat for a significant part of the year and it moves out into the
surrounding woodland which is predominantly oak and pistachio, during which time
this species is known to estivate.
Currently the Lusristan newt if found in the Zagros Mountains in Iran, but in recent
studies it has been concluded that small portions of southern Iran that include
Kermanshah, Ilam, Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari, and Kohgiluye-Boyerahmad are habitats
that these species will be distributing themselves in the future due do climate change
affecting their current habitats.

21.

Northern crested newt

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The northern crested newt, great crested newt or warty newt is a newt species native
to Great Britain, northern and central continental Europe and parts of Western
Siberia. It is a large newt, with females growing up to 16 cm long. Its back and sides
are dark brown, while the belly is yellow to orange with dark blotches. Males
develop a conspicuous jagged crest on their back and tail during the breeding season.
The northern crested newt spends most of the year on land, mainly in forested areas
in lowlands. It moves to aquatic breeding sites, mainly larger fish-free ponds, in
spring. Males court females with a ritualised display and deposit a spermatophore on
the ground, which the female then picks up with her cloaca. After fertilisation, a
female lays around 200 eggs, folding them into water plants. The larvae develop over
two to four months before metamorphosing into terrestrial juveniles. Both larvae and
land-dwelling newts mainly feed on different invertebrates.
Several of the northern crested newt's former subspecies are now recognised as
separate species in the genus Triturus. Its closest relative is the Danube crested newt.
It sometimes forms hybrids with some of its relatives, including the marbled newt.
Although today the most widespread Triturus species, the northern crested newt was
probably confined to small refugial areas in the Carpathians during the Last Glacial
Maximum.

23.

The northern crested newt is a relatively large newt species. Males usually reach 13.5
cm total length, while females grow up to 16 cm. Rare individuals of 20 cm have been
recorded. Other crested newt species are more stockily built; only the Danube crested
newt is more slender. Body shape is correlated with skeletal build: The northern
crested newt has 15 rib-bearing vertebrae, only the Danube crested newt has more,
while the other, more stocky Triturus species have 14 or less.
The newts have rough skin, and are dark brown on the back and sides, with black
spots and heavy white stippling on the flanks. The female has a yellow line running
along the lower tail edge. The throat is mixed yellow–black with fine white stippling,
the belly yellow to orange with dark, irregular blotches.
During the aquatic breeding season, males develop crest up to 1.5 cm high, which
runs along the back and tail but is interrupted at the tail base. It is heavily indented
on the back but smoother on the tail. Also during breeding season, the male's cloaca
swells and it has a blue–white flash running along the sides of the tail. Females do
not develop a crest.

24.

Black-spotted newt

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The black-spotted newt or Texas newt, is a species of aquatic newt native to
northeastern Mexico and southern Texas in the United States.
The black-spotted newt grow to 7.4–10.9 centimetres long, and is typically an olive
green in color, with numerous black spots. The underside is often yellow in color,
which can sometimes extend up to the sides. They have smooth skin, and a paddleshaped, vertically flattened tail. They live in quiet stretches of streams and permanent
and temporary ponds and ditches.
Black-spotted newts prefer shallow-water habitats, heavy with vegetation. During the
dry season, they are believed to burrow underground or remain under debris. They
are carnivorous, consuming a wide variety of prey, including insects, aquatic
invertebrates, leeches, and other amphibians. Their toxic skin secretions are used to
deter predators. Breeding occurs year-round. The life history of this species is not
well known and the presence of an stage has yet to be determined.

26.

California newt

27.

The California newt or orange-bellied newt, is a species of newt endemic to
California, in the Western United States. Its adult length can range from 5 to 8 in. Its
skin produces a potent toxin.
California newts reside in the coastal counties of California and in the southern
Sierra Nevada and occupy a diverse array of habitats found near the small ponds and
creeks where they breed, including woodlands and chaparral. Newts are amphibians.
They are salamanders in the subfamily called Pleurodelinae.
The California newt has warty, slate-gray skin on its back and bright orange-yellow
skin underneath. It is very similar in appearance to the rough-skinned newt and they
are often indistinguishable without dissection, but in general, the California newt has
orange skin around the bottom of its eye while the Rough-skinned has gray skin at
the bottom of its eye. The California newt also has eyes that protrude beyond the
edge of the jaw line when viewed from above, while the eyes of the rough-skinned
do not protrude, giving its head a more bullet-like appearance. The red-bellied newt
is also similar but has dark irises vs. yellow in the California newt, more red
coloration underneath, and a dark band across the vent that is lacking in the
California newt. Newts are amphibians. They are related to salamanders (in a
subfamily called Pleurodelinae). They live in North America, Europe and Asia. Their
skin tends to be rougher than the skin of salamanders.

28.

Marbled newt

29.

The marbled newt is a mainly terrestrial newt native to the Iberian Peninsula and
France in Europe.
Marbled newts have dark brown or black bodies with irregular patterns of green.
They have black bellies with off-white specks. Adult females have an orange stripe
running down the back from the head to the tip of the tail. Juveniles also have this
stripe, but it fades on males at about 9 months. Breeding males have a large wavy
crest that runs from its neck down to the tip of its tail, but is a little bit shorter where
the tail meets the body. The crest is striped yellowish-white with black. Adult
marbled newts are from 5 inches to 6.5 inches long.
Marbled newts live throughout most of France, and northern Spain west to the
northern third of Portugal. They have a slight overlap with the pygmy marbled newt,
which take over southern Spain. Marbled newts are absent from most of the Pyrenees
because of dry and unstable conditions. In northern France, the populations are more
scattered due to the presence of the great crested newt, with which the marbled newt
hybridizes to some extent. The higher-elevation Mediterranean climates are the
preferred habitat of marbled newts, and in the overlap, it takes the lower elevations.

30.

Red-tailed knobby newt

31.

The red-tailed knobby newt or crocodile newt is a species of salamander in the family
Salamandridae. It is found in western Guizhou and north-eastern Yunnan, China. It
is most closely related to emperor newt and Himalayan newt.
The red-tailed knobby newt is a relatively large, robust newt. Their total length is
155–210 mm, females being larger than males. They live in small ponds, slowly
flowing streams and surrounding shady and moist grassy slopes with many hiding
places. Outside the reproductive season, they are rather terrestrial. The reproductive
season is from early May to early July, coinciding with the rainy season.
The red-tailed knobby newt has been recorded in Bijie, Dafang, Hezhang, Nayong,
Shuicheng, Weining, and Zhijin counties of western Guizhou, and Yiliang and
Yongshan counties in northeastern Yunnan.
The red-tailed knobby newt feeds on worms,insects,larva, and their smaller newts.
They can ingest small frogs and small toads. In captivity they often eat wax worms,
mealworms, crickets, and even small fish like guppies.