- Joined
- Aug 18, 2004
- Messages
- 2,239
Decided to take a few of these guys out for some photos. These are all males, and probably a little over half grown at this point. Neat with their huge tails and rather flat heads...sorta like mini hellbenders or something. Being totally aquatic they do well in a normal aquarium and eat like pigs. 
Trying to poke me with his rib spines. The name refers to the ability of these newts to rotate their ribs and push the tips through the skin. The spines punch through poison glands on the bumps just above them(can be seen in the other photos) without causing any harm to the newt...newts have amazing powers of regeneration in general though! Can't tell in the photo but you can definetly feel them change the orientation of the ribs when you pick them up! So perhaps they could be considered venomous as well as poisonous as a predator gulping one gets not only poison but also prickly ribs laced with poison that could pierce thin skin/mouth lining. Despite this seemingly formidable defense they are still eaten by a wide variety of animals...water snakes and herons in particular. You have nothing to worry about unless maybe you squeeze them too hard!
Trying to poke me with his rib spines. The name refers to the ability of these newts to rotate their ribs and push the tips through the skin. The spines punch through poison glands on the bumps just above them(can be seen in the other photos) without causing any harm to the newt...newts have amazing powers of regeneration in general though! Can't tell in the photo but you can definetly feel them change the orientation of the ribs when you pick them up! So perhaps they could be considered venomous as well as poisonous as a predator gulping one gets not only poison but also prickly ribs laced with poison that could pierce thin skin/mouth lining. Despite this seemingly formidable defense they are still eaten by a wide variety of animals...water snakes and herons in particular. You have nothing to worry about unless maybe you squeeze them too hard!
