Eastern Newt Care Guide

Eastern newts are a great addition to a life science or biology classroom. As amphibians, they have three unique life stages that include an aquatic larval, a terrestrial juvenile (called an eft) and an adult (newt) stage, when they return to the water. The terrestrial efts range in color from reddish-brown to orange to bright crimson with red spots and black speckles. Adult newts are greenish-brown to yellowish-brown. Depending on region, there may be a row of red spots or incomplete stripes of bright red enclosed with black borders along either side of the body. The belly is lighter in color, often yellow to orange. The entire body is covered in black speckles.