Natural History: Eastern Newt

On our field trip to Caw Caw Country Park, I pulled up one of the many traps to find a Notophthalmus viridescens - also known as the eastern newt.

Eastern newts can grow up to 5 inches and have a smooth slimy appearance with a distinctively yellow underside with speckled black spots. Upon first appearance we could tell that this newts’ belly appeared to be swollen/bloated. This led us to believe that this newt was an adult female who was reproductively active during the current breeding season. In fact, reproduction occurs during the late winter and into early spring for newts. Therefore, this information lines up with the observations made about the physical appearance.

The environment within Caw Caw County Park is perfect for eastern newts since they live in an aquatic environment that favors the muddy environment that marshes, ponds, and lakes can provide. This habitat provides the resources they need for their diet since they eat insects, snails, small amphibians, frog eggs, and other crustacean.

Overall it was a neat experience to be able to see a newt up close for the first time and in its natural habitat. This experience brought to life what we have learned in the classroom.

Below are pictures of both the female and a male newt. The female is to the left in both pictures.