Posted by Maya Eppley on July 18, 2005

Q: The salamander is about 3 inches long including its tail and is red-orange. It has 10 distinct bright orange spots outlined with black on its back with many smaller plain black spots on its belly. Its tail is approximately as long as its body. No stripes anywhere. None of the salamanders on enature.com fit his description.

State: Pennsylvania

Habitat: forest/open woods

A: Thank you for your nice description - this really helps.

You've seen an immature (not fully grown) individual that will grow into a Red-spotted Newt . But at this immature stage, since it is so different from the adult form, it is called a red eft (it has its own special name). Red-spotted Newts lay their eggs in pools and ponds and the young live there for a while. After a few months, the immature animals, now called red efts, crawl out onto land and live on land for one to three years and then return to water to live out their lives as Red-spotted Newts.

Your animal is indeed a salamander but one that has a rather different "lifestyle". Most predators avoid newts since they have skin glands that produce a substance that is very irritating to mucous membranes. In fact, the red efts rather bold coloration is a kind of "don't tread on me" sign. People don't have to worry unless after handling newts, they rub their eyes or put fingers in their mouths.

I hope this helps. Take a look in your book under newts and I'll bet you'll find a picture that looks right. Thanks for your question.

John Wiessinger ( July 18, 2005)