The newt in these pictures is more than 22 years old! She came from the Colorado Reptile Humane Society after her owner died. At the time, she was 14, and we’ve had her ever since. Like many amphibians, nobody really knows how long she can live. But, however long it is, she will have a safe home with us at the Amphibian Orchard.
Newts spend part of their lives in the water and part of their lives on land. At the moment, this one likes to do both. We designed her home to fit her needs. It’s half river and half land, so she can choose what she wants to do each day.
This type of newt is called ‘firebelly’ because of the bright orange colors underneath. However, the orange color is not limited only to the belly; it stretches from the bottom of their chin, under the whole body and the bottom of the legs, all the way to the tail. Note, there are newts and toads from other areas of the world that are also called firebelly because they are brightly colored underneath, but they are not necessarily close relatives of the Japanese firebelly newt.
Many amphibians use bright colors to warn away predators. These newts (and many other amphibians) are poisonous, so many predators have evolved to recognize their bright coloring and stay away. This warning system is beneficial to both sides, so natural selection is continuing to reinforce both the warning behavior of the amphibians and the avoidance behavior of the predators. If you ever see a newt or a toad standing up in a funny way with their chin back, to show their orange belly, they are giving a warning that says “Don’t eat me! I’m poisonous!”
The Japanese firebelly newt’s scientific name is Cynops pyrrhogaster.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION – more info to come later
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