North America is home to a variety of salamanders, including several unique types of newts. Newts are a subgroup of salamanders that are a bit more adapted to life on land and may develop a rough, drier skin texture, especially during their terrestrial stages. Though they share certain traits with both frogs and lizards in appearance, newts are distinct amphibians with unique adaptations.
Newts are particularly known for their defensive skin glands, which can secrete toxic substances to deter predators. They also have remarkable regenerative abilities, allowing them to regrow limbs, tails, and even parts of their eyes. Born in water, young newts undergo a transformation into “efts”—a terrestrial juvenile stage—before embarking on migrations to new habitats. This semi-terrestrial life cycle and adaptability set newts apart from other salamanders, which often remain more dependent on fully aquatic environments.
The Newts of North America
Living in water and walking on land, these creatures have become successful homesteaders in many North American regions. Here are 10 different types of newts in North America.
1. The Black-spotted Newt
Scientific name: Notophthalmus meridionalis
The Black-spotted Newt, classified as near-threatened and found only in southern Texas, has a bold mustard-colored underbelly with matching spots. This vibrant coloring serves as a clear warning to potential predators, signaling the newt’s toxic defenses that make it a highly unappetizing and dangerous meal.
2. Striped Newt
Scientific name: Notophthalmus perstriatus
The Striped Newt, recently added to conservation lists, is found in parts of Georgia, Florida, and occasionally South Carolina. Its distinctive bright red stripes run along each side of its body, signaling its toxicity to potential predators.
Striped Newts are known for their adaptability – as adults, they can possess either gills or lungs, depending on environmental conditions. Reproduction occurs through the male’s deposition of spermatophores (sperm packets) on the ground, which the female collects to fertilize her eggs internally.
3. Red Spotted Newt
Scientific name: Notophthalmus viridescens
The Red-spotted Newt is widely distributed across the eastern U.S., from New England states like New York and Massachusetts, through the Mid-Atlantic, including Maryland and Virginia, and extending into parts of the Midwest, such as Illinois and Ohio.
As one of the most abundant and widespread newts in North America, the Red-spotted Newt thrives in a variety of habitats. Its life cycle includes three main stages: the aquatic larva, the terrestrial “eft” stage, and finally the adult stage, where it returns to water.
Mothers lay up to 400 eggs at once, with each larva developing into either a terrestrial eft or aquatic adult. During the eft stage—a teenage phase where they sport bright red skin—the young newts may cover up to 500 feet in a day, venturing far to find new habitats.
4. Central Newt
Scientific name: N. v. louisianensis
The Central Newt, a subspecies of the Eastern Newt, is found throughout the central U.S., in states like Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. Sporting a vibrant orange belly and dark racing stripes over its eyes, this newt has an eye-catching look.
Central Newts begin life fully aquatic but then spend up to two years on land as efts (their teenage stage) before returning to water as adults. Once they complete this final transformation, they’ll settle back into their watery habitat, where they’ll spend the rest of their lives.
5. Broken Striped Newt
Scientific name: N. v. dorsalis
The Broken-striped Newt, one of the smallest newts in North America, is found in North and South Carolina. Its vibrant red dashes along the back give it a distinctive “broken” stripe pattern.
Known for sometimes delaying its final metamorphosis, this newt can remain in its juvenile aquatic form if conditions aren’t ideal for life on land. Toxic skin secretions and bright coloring serve as a warning to predators.
6. Peninsula Newt
Scientific name: Notophthalmus viridescens piaropicola
The Peninsula Newt, primarily found in Florida, is a dark green newt with black speckling and a rich amber underside. Unlike many newts, this subspecies of the Eastern Newt spends nearly all its life near water, utilizing aquatic vegetation as shelter and breeding grounds. Often seen around human-made waterways and beaver ponds, Peninsula Newts have adapted well to various water bodies across their range.
7. Rough Skinned Newt
Scientific name: Taricha granulosa
The Rough-skinned Newt, found throughout the Pacific Northwest in states like Washington, Oregon, and California, is known for its highly toxic skin, containing a powerful neurotoxin similar to that of pufferfish.
Its muddy-brown back and vivid yellow to red underbelly serve as a warning to predators. These newts are especially unique in that each female carefully attaches her eggs individually to underwater vegetation. Adapted to both land and water, Rough-skinned Newts can survive in a variety of moist environments.
8. Red-Bellied Newt
Scientific name: Taricha rivularis
The Red-bellied Newt, native to California’s coastal redwood forests, stands out with its dark brown back and vibrant red underside. As adults, these newts migrate back to streams to breed, and will spend most of their time in underground burrows.
Red-bellied Newts are known for their longevity and can live up to 30 years! They have bright coloration and toxic skin that acts as a deterrent to any would-be predators.
9. California Newt
Scientific name: Taricha torosa
Found only in California, the California Newt is easily recognized by its rough, brownish skin and bright orange belly, as with other newts this is a warning to predators about its highly toxic skin secretion. This toxin, similar to that of pufferfish, is lethal to most predators.
California Newts have a strong homing instinct and will migrate back to the exact streams where they were born to breed. During the breeding season, males engage in a unique courtship involving tail fanning and chin rubbing. They like moist habitats such as woodlands and coastal forests. These newts are most active during cooler, rainy months but will return to water for mating and laying eggs.
10. Sierra Newt
Scientific name: Taricha sierrae
The Sierra Newt is found only in California’s Sierra Nevada and parts of western Nevada. They’re adapted to the region’s cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers. This newt stands out with its warty skin, yellow eyes, and Y-shaped vomerine teeth, used to grip prey.
During the breeding season, males develop specialized toe pads for gripping females in amplexus, a behavior specific to mating. Sierra Newts typically inhabit streams and moist woodlands but can venture farther from water in rainy weather, always returning to their stream habitats to breed.
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