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Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens
The eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) is a common newt of eastern North America. They frequent small lakes, ponds, and streams or near-by wet forests. They can coexist in an aquatic environment with small, noncarnivorous fish, as their skin secretes a poisonous substance when the newt is threatened or injured. They have lifespans of 12 to 15 years in the wild, and may grow to five inches in length. These newts are common aquarium pets, being either collected from the wild or purchased. The strikingly colored (orange) juvenile stage, which is land-dwelling, is often known as the red eft. Some sources blend the general name of the species and the red-spotted newt subspecies name into eastern red-spotted newt (although there is no "western" one).[1][2]
2 Comments
Thank you, Ethan. One of the kids brought him in and he resides in out classroom terrarium, now, until Spring. We did Leafpack and we took the leaf pack material left over from the classroom activity and made leaf litter for the critters. We have a Trout in the Classroom project and when we stock our Brook Trout, we will also stock the salamanders. Thanks for the nice comment!
Wow! That's AWESOME!!!!!!