Eastern newt Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Eastern newt

Aquatic adult male
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Notophthalmus
Species:	viridescens

Eastern newt range

The eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) is a common type of newt. You can find it in eastern North America. These cool creatures often live in small lakes, ponds, streams, or wet forests nearby.

Eastern newts produce a special substance called tetrodotoxin. This makes them taste bad to animals that might want to eat them, like fish and crayfish. They can live for 12 to 15 years in the wild. They grow to about 5 in (13 cm) long. Many people keep eastern newts as aquarium pets. You can find them in the wild or buy them from stores.

One of the most interesting parts of their life is the bright orange juvenile stage. This stage lives on land and is called a red eft. Sometimes, people call the whole species the eastern red-spotted newt.

Different Types of Eastern Newts
- Meet the Central Newt
Life Stages of the Eastern Newt
How Newts Find Their Way Home
Where They Live and What They Eat
Protecting Eastern Newts
Gallery
See also

Different Types of Eastern Newts

There are four main types, or subspecies, of the eastern newt:

Red-spotted newt (N. v. viridescens)
Broken-striped newt (N. v. dorsalis)
Central newt (N. v. louisianensis)
Peninsula newt (N. v. piaropicola)

Meet the Central Newt

Central newts are usually between 2.5 in (6.4 cm) and 4 in (10 cm) long. They can be brown or green. Their bodies are covered in tiny black dots. Some may even have a line of red spots on each side. Their bellies are yellow or orange and much lighter than their backs. Newts have skin that feels rougher and drier than a salamander's skin. It is not as slippery.

Life Stages of the Eastern Newt

Eastern newts go through three amazing stages in their lives. First, they are tiny aquatic larvae. Then, they become land-dwelling red efts. Finally, they turn into aquatic adults.

Larva Stage

When they first hatch, eastern newts are larvae. They have gills, which help them breathe underwater. They stay in the pond where they were born. Larvae are usually brown-green. When they change into a red eft, they lose their gills.

Red Eft Stage

The red eft is the juvenile stage. It is bright orangish-red. It has darker red spots outlined in black. An eastern newt can have up to 21 of these spots. The pattern of these spots can be different for each subspecies.

It takes about three months for a larva to become a red eft. During this stage, the eft can travel far from its home pond. This helps newts from different ponds meet and have babies. The eft's bright color is a warning sign. It tells predators that the eft is full of toxins and tastes bad. This is a clever way to stay safe!

Adult Stage

After two or three years, the red eft finds a pond. Then, it changes into an aquatic adult. The adult's skin becomes a dull olive green on its back. Its belly is a dull yellow. But it still has those cool black-rimmed red spots. Adults also grow a bigger, blade-like tail. Their skin becomes slimy.

Sometimes, a peninsula newt (N. v. piaropicola) will skip the red eft stage. It goes straight from a larva to a sexually mature adult. It even keeps its external gills!

How Newts Find Their Way Home

Eastern newts are amazing navigators. They can find their way home using Earth's magnetic field. It's like they have a built-in compass! They use this special sense to know which way to go. Scientists think they might have tiny magnetic materials in their bodies that help them do this.

Where They Live and What They Eat

Eastern newts live in both pine and leafy forests. They need a damp place with a pond or stream. They do best in muddy areas. Red efts often travel far from their birthplaces. You might see them in a forest after it rains. Adult newts prefer muddy water. But they will move to land if their pond dries up.

Eastern newts have some toxins in their skin. Their bright colors warn other animals about this. Even with this protection, only a small number of larvae survive to become efts.

Eastern newts eat many different things. They munch on insects, small snails, crabs, young amphibians, worms, and frog eggs.

Protecting Eastern Newts

Eastern newts are common in North America. However, like many amphibians, they face challenges. Their homes are being broken up. Climate change and new diseases also threaten them. Scientists are working to understand and protect these fascinating creatures.