Subject: Red Eft, immature Red-Spotted Newt, Notophthalmus viridescens

Location: Upshur County, West Virginia

Stock Number: MUX-18

Comments: This is one of the most common salamanders in the woods surrounding my house, but one that never fails to delight when I see it. Usually one is struck by the large red and black dots on its sides. Only when I hunkered down in the moss did I learn that Red Efts also have black speckles on their chest and forearms!

This species is even more deserving of the name "amphibian" than most of its kin. It begins life as a very small aquatic larva, then transforms into the strikingly colored Red Eft seen pictured above. After enjoying life on dry land, the Eft once again transforms itself, returning to life in the water as a Red-Spotted Newt (Eastern Newt). The most notable change is color, as the Red Eft changes from orange to brown, then green. Also, the tail will become more flattened, preparing the transforming Eft for life in the water.

Thus this species begins life in the water, moves to dry land and wanders the woods for two or three years, then once again returns to the water.