Newts
In Redwall
Outside Redwall
- Classification: Species: Notophthalmus viridescens
- Other Names: Eastern newt, red-spotted newt
- Appearance: Newts are reddish-orange, with somewhat moist
skin. Their small eyes have horizontal pupils (think of a cat with
sideways eyes). Newts do not have scales.
- Life Span: 12 to 15 years
- Diet: In various stages of life, newts eat water fleas,
snails, and beetle larvae; snails, spring tails, and soil mites; midge
larvae, and other water invertebrates.
- Habitat: Newts live mostly in the water, except in their
"adolescent" stage, their land stage, when they are called efts.
They live in deciduous and coniferous forests, in unpolluted ponds,
small lakes, ditches, and marshes with preferably mud bottoms.
- Habits: Newts are fast in the water, propelled by their
flattened tail, but are slow on land. Efts are nocturnal, though adult
newts are active day and night in the water. Efts hibernate
underground in the winter.
- Life Cycle: 200 - 400 eggs are laid between late winter and
early spring on underwater vegetation. The eggs hatch 3 - 8 weeks
later depending on temperature. The larva loses its gills 3 - 4 months
later and emerges on land as an eft. Two to three years later,
the eft develops a rudder-like tail and returns to the water.
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