Red spotted newts
Posted by Pat Momich on March 4, 2006
Q: What do newt eggs look like? We have red spotted newts in our pond, but to our knowledge we've never seen their eggs. The wood frogs are very active now with many large egg clusters. Thanks!
State: North Carolina
Habitat: pond/lake
A: I thought I could go immediately to some photos of Red Spotted Newt eggs but was wrong - they're not at all common. I did get some info on them I'm including. Hope this helps.
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Oviposition can take several weeks, because the female will only lay a few, widely scattered eggs, each day. It's still uncertain whether or not females will lay all of their eggs in a breeding season, however they do lay between 200 and 400 single, jelly-covered eggs on submerged vegetation, each season. As soon as the process is finished, the female newt swims away leaving her eggs to survive on their own. The incubation of the eggs is somewhat dependent on temperature, but generally lasts from 3 to 8 weeks.
I thought they laid groups of eggs but apparently, they don't. So, you'll need to look for individual eggs in your pond if you're to see any. Good luck.
John Wiessinger ( March 6, 2006)