Where do Newts Live
Newts are small aquatic creatures that are a subfamily of salamander. They are amphibians and reproduce by laying eggs in water. Full grown newts resemble lizards in body shape and coloring with skin that is rougher in texture than that of other salamander species. Newts can be either completely aquatic or semi-aquatic, only returning to water to breed. Newts have the amazing ability to regenerate limbs and organs when they are damaged. Many newts secrete toxins through their skin as a defense mechanism.
Where do newts come from?
Newts can be found living in North America, Europe and Asia. They are not found in Australia or Africa. In fact there are no species of salamander that live in Australia and only a few found in Northern Africa. Seven species of newt live in Europe. The most common are the crested newts, the palmate newts and the banded newts. The largest European newt, the Iberian ribbed newt is found only in the central and southern parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco. The other species of newt found in Europe include the pyrenean brook newt, the European brook newt and the Alpine newt.
In North America there are three species of newts known as the eastern newts. These are the black-spotted or Texas newt, the striped newt and the eastern or red-spotted newt. The red spotted newt is the most abundant and most commonly seen of these three species. The black-spotted or Texas newt can be found in north-eastern Mexico and southern Texas. The striped newt is found from Georgia to central Florida. The red spotted newt inhabits most of the east side of the United States. There are also three species of newt that inhabit the western side of the United States; these are the red-bellied newt, the Californian newt and the rough skinned newt. The red-bellied newt can only be found in northern California. The Californian newt or orange-bellied newt inhabit the Californian coastline and the Sierra Nevada. The rough-skinned newt is highly toxic and inhabits the western coast of America and British Columbia. They are usually not found east of the Cascade Mountains.
In Asia newts are located in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Japan. The spotted newts can be found in the Middle East mostly in Iran and Turkey. There are many species of newt that are native to Southeast Asia.
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