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Some species, such as the North American newts, also become more brightly colored during this phase. Once fully metamorphosed, they leave the water and live a terrestrial life, when they are known as "efts." [12] [13] Only when the eft reaches adulthood will the North American species return to live in water, rarely venturing back onto the land ...
Eastern newts have a lifespan of about 8–10 years in the wild, but some individuals have been known to live up to 15 years. [6] Eastern newts have three stages of life: (1) the aquatic larva or tadpole, (2) the red eft or terrestrial juvenile stage, and (3) the aquatic adult.
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.
Newts capture prey by projecting out their tongue which has an adhesive texture. The main native predator of the California Coast Range newt is the common garter snake ( Thamnophis sirtalis ), some of which have apparently developed a genetic resistance or immunity to tetrodotoxin .
In this way, newts are able to differentiate whether a snake is resistant or sensitive to the toxin in order to avoid being preyed upon. However, newts do not avoid the corpses of a recently digested newt that has been left to decompose. This behavior is unlike salamanders that have been documented in avoiding other injured salamanders. [14]
Red-bellied newts can live for 20-30 years. [9] After reaching reproductive maturity, male red-bellied newts start congregating at stream banks as early as January or February. One to three weeks later, the females join them and the newts mate. [2] Red-bellied newts lay their eggs in fast-flowing streams or rocky rivers.
Notophthalmus meridionalis, the black-spotted newt or Texas newt, is a species of aquatic newt native to northeastern Mexico and southern Texas in the United States. [1] [2] This amphibian was put on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species in 2008 with populations still decreasing.
Also, rough-skinned newts' upper teeth form a V shape, while those of the California newt form a Y shape, but this is difficult to ascertain on a living specimen. [ 4 ] The red-bellied newt is brown on the upper body with a red underbelly, has grainy skin, and grows to between 5.5 and 7.5 in (14 and 19 cm).