Impurest's Guide to Animals #151 - Emperor Newt

One Hundred and Fifty One Episodes!! I finally reached the milestone I wanted to reach, and as such feel like I should take the time to say thank you to everyone who reads and comments on my blogs, it has been an honour writing for you thus far. Last week we looked at the primeval Trilobite Beetle and a plethora of odd insects. This week issue has an Imperial theme, hope you guys enjoy.

_________________________________________________________________

Issue #151 – Emperor Newt

Kingdom – Animalia

Phylum – Chordata

Class – Amphibia

Order – Caudata

Family – Salamandridae

Genus – Tylototriton

Species – shanjing

Related Species – The Emperor Newt is one of 74 species found within the family Salamandridae.(1)

Range – Emperor Newts are only found in the montane province of Yunnan in China.

The Mountain Emperor

Emperor Newts are large newts that reach a length of twenty centimetres when fully grown. Despite most newts being largely aquatic as adults, the Emperor Newt is primarily terrestrial, partially due to the ambient dampness of its habitat. The species can be easily distinguished from most related species by the orange dorsal stripe that runs from the animal’s head to the tip of the tail, not to mention the rows of pores arranged along the newt’s flanks, with both male and female animals being brightly coloured. In addition to the colouration, the species also has a pair of reinforced bone ridges running along the head which resembles a crown, thus giving rise to the animal’s colloquial name.

Like all amphibians the Emperor Newt is a carnivore and preys on terrestrial invertebrates that cross its path while foraging. Emperor Newts are potential prey themselves for a range of predators, although actual predation is limited, in part due to the animal’s colouration warning attackers of its toxicity, with a single newt containing enough poison to kill 7500 mice (2), and due to the largely nocturnal nature of this species. Despite these defences, some species of birds and a number water snakes from the genus Natrix are able to feed on this species of newt with no ill effects.

Emperor Newts breed shortly after they wake from hibernation in Late March, with males and females heading to pool and rice paddies in preparation for egg laying. Upon discovering a female, the male newt will push her into the water using his snout and a pair of hooks on his forelimbs (3), before producing and then dragging the female over three cone shaped packages of spermatophores. About a month later the female Emperor Newt lays her eggs in clumps, with the tadpoles hatching a fortnight later. These larval newts then spend the next five months as tadpoles, before eventually leaving the water as immature adults.

Introduction to Spotlight

Over the last two, almost three years I have been very lucky to have, not only shared my interests, but also met people who were genuinely interested in what I was positioning. And while I now I mentioned it earlier, I want to thank you once again for reading this blog and any others you may have stumbled upon.

But I heard you say, what is Spotlight? About two months ago I had an idea, one I toyed with bringing to this blog much earlier but didn’t know how to introduce to you, the readers. In a nutshell, Spotlight was conceived as a way for other people on ComicVine to share their knowledge with the various readers here without having to write an entire blog series themselves. Say if UserX wanted to inform people about Mantis Kung-Fu, then all they would have to do is inform me, and instead of endangered species, toxic beasties or five fun facts in the second slot of my blogs, their work would be there instead.

Everyone is an expert in something, and I feel as someone who is enjoying moderate success on the Off-Topic board, I should help the next generation of IGTAesque titles to come to fruition. If you are interested send me a PM titled ‘Spotlight’ and we can whip something up together as long as it is factual and doesn’t break ComicVine’s regulations on racism, homophobia, sexism etc.

And for those worrying that is the end, they are correct. This is the End of the Beginning, because if you keep reading them, I’ll keep writing em.

Many Thanks

Impurest Cheese

Bibliography

1 -www.arkive.org

2 - http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/toxin2.shtml

3 - http://www.waza.org/en/zoo/choose-a-species/amphibians/salamanders-and-newts/tylototriton-shanjing

Picture References

1 - http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3523/3497/1600/medium.0.jpg

2 - http://cdn1.arkive.org/media/62/626E47EC-50F4-4080-8385-DD24A24C4422/Presentation.Large/Emperor-newt-head-detail.jpg

3 - http://cdn2.arkive.org/media/FF/FF8B087D-F659-43F5-BD15-4D20ED6CD2E9/Presentation.Large/Emperor-newt-tadpole.jpg

4 - http://www.caracal.ch/images/photos/Caracal-Reading.png

Spotlight looks like it could be fun, I can’t wait to see what you guys come up with. Speaking of what’s coming up, well we have a double species issue as we enter the seasonal deep freeze, but until then make sure to critic, comment and suggest future issues as well as making sure you check past issues in Impurest’s Bestiary.

Many Thanks (Again)

Impurest Cheese

Want more IGTA? For a creepy skin splitting issue click here to meet the Iberian Newt. Or for something more carnivorous, click here to see the sinister Arboreal Salamander.

@cbishop, , @ostyo, @wildvine, @laflux, @black_wreath, @galactic_1000, @anna_karenina,@heroup2112, @blueecho, @jamiewolfe7, @bb_ryder, @destinyman75, @xlr87t3, @xwraith, @samimista, @pipxeroth, @juiceboks, @mikesterman, @amazing_webhead, @spareheadone, @major_hellstorm, @bella_blackstar, @queen_marceline and @captainmarvel4ever

The Emperor has arrived!!

In love newts used to catch them everyday in the creeks and rivers were I am from though they are only a dark shade of brown or black not colored as this emperor newt is. Got so good I did it for fun and returned them when I caught them for fun. Used to call them "Gator's"/as a kid but we had no real Gators as I was in the blue ridge mountains. Thanks for posting this one. Question what is the species of newt I've been catching? Blue ridge mountains Of north Carolina the biggest I ever saw by far was a foot long and I let him go because I figured he was old being so big. Normally they are more like 6-8 at the biggest any idea?

@destinyman75: Need a little more information for a positive ID such as dorsal and flank patterning. As for newt catching, I do that professionally when I survey the, but like you the species I catch are black or brown in colouration, although they do have colourful under bellies.

As for your 'gators', the Emperor Newt and its relatives are sometimes called Crocodile Newts because of their large heads and armoured looking backs

lots of newts running around where i live. not poisonous ones, though

@amazing_webhead: All newts are poisonous, it is just that some are more toxic than others. The most poisonous the Rough Skinned Newt (Tarchina granulosa) is found throughout the Western United States and is apparently five times more toxic then the next most poisonous newt, the Emperor himself

Newts are adorable

@pipxeroth: They are indeed

Cool, I find them ugly but fascinating at the same time.

@major_hellstorm: Ah I find them adorable and fascinating. Thanks for the comment

@impurestcheese: This newt is Mew

@ostyo: Perhaps

Wait wait wait, I'm confused, is that a Charmander, a Salandit, or a Mudkip?

But nah, very cool, and shocking to think they have strong enough poison to cause a mouse genocide

Hear that cats you lazy f*cks? step up your game

@captainmarvel4ever: All three by some weird coincidence, although mostly Salandit since it's Japanese relatives are partially behind the inspiration behind that mon.

Nice

@impurestcheese: maybe i was thinking of salamanders

@impurestcheese: The newts I know are so dark can hardly see a pattern buy of you look real close you see tiny dots no color that I remember.

@blueecho: Thanks for the comment

@amazing_webhead: Maybe, although both Salamanders and Newts are generally incapable of running. A leisurely stroll is the best that they can manage.

@queen_marceline: Hmm Newts in a gif. Thanks for that :-)

@destinyman75: Ihave a few suspects...

I love Newts !

@impurestcheese: interesting not sure if its any of these there is no color at all on the ones I'm used too but southern dusky looks pretty close except I see a little color but it may be that some do have color just not the ones I'm user too

@impurestcheese: Actually, the joke I was trying to make is that I'm such a dumb Pokemon fanboy, I can't tell it's a real animal so I think it;s one of the them there Pokemans X)

Cool fact though

@bella_blackstar: Ha that's cool to know. If you want I can give you the link to an earlier newt related issue I covered back in the infancy of IGTA

@destinyman75: Could be, there's a species of lizard where I live known as a Viviparous Lizard who has at least three regional colour variants (that I have noticed) throughout the UK.

@captainmarvel4ever:Nah, I fail to believe that (about you being dumb). In fact it's my belief that we are all experts at one thing at least.

@impurestcheese: Hehehehe, oh m'lady, just give it time and I promise I'll surprise you

@captainmarvel4ever: Hmm perhaps ?

That's a beautiful newt (newtiful?), how toxic are they to humans?

Beautiful caracal, too.

@black_wreath: There has been no recorded deaths related to this species, but considering its poison is Tetrodotoxin it is caperble of killing a healthy afult human if swallowed.

One death, a 29 year old man from Oregon, is associated with the more poisonous Rough Skinned Newt. The victim was paralysed in half an hour, and despite almost immediate hospital care, was declared dead sometime later that day.

@impurestcheese: Ah, noted: don't eat them. >.>

@black_wreath: Pretty much.

P.S. loving the festive changes to your avatar

@impurestcheese: I saw this, and immediately thought, "The Emperor's Newt Clothes." lol :}

@ficopedia: Well it is Panto Season

Oh thank you, the first person to notice and not mock it. ^_^

@black_wreath: No problem

@black_wreath said:

Um...if their mocking was calling the cat "Four Eyes," it wasn't mocking. ;)

(I like it)

Well thank you too. :)

They were more mocking my mad art skillz. Jealousy I assume...

@impurestcheese: Sorry, I commented my initial reaction on this, but got sidetracked and didn't actually read it. The Spotlight idea is an interesting one; I'll be curious to see how it works out.

@ficopedia: Cool thanks for checking it out. Hopefully someone will take this opportunity, it would be great to see more people sharing what they know on this site

I never considered newts being so poisonous. Another brilliant article.

Also, this kind of teared me up:

Introduction to Spotlight

Over the last two, almost three years I have been very lucky to have, not only shared my interests, but also met people who were genuinely interested in what I was positioning. And while I now I mentioned it earlier, I want to thank you once again for reading this blog and any others you may have stumbled upon.

But I heard you say, what is Spotlight? About two months ago I had an idea, one I toyed with bringing to this blog much earlier but didn’t know how to introduce to you, the readers. In a nutshell, Spotlight was conceived as a way for other people on ComicVine to share their knowledge with the various readers here without having to write an entire blog series themselves. Say if UserX wanted to inform people about Mantis Kung-Fu, then all they would have to do is inform me, and instead of endangered species, toxic beasties or five fun facts in the second slot of my blogs, their work would be there instead.

Everyone is an expert in something, and I feel as someone who is enjoying moderate success on the Off-Topic board, I should help the next generation of IGTAesque titles to come to fruition. If you are interested send me a PM titled ‘Spotlight’ and we can whip something up together as long as it is factual and doesn’t break ComicVine’s regulations on racism, homophobia, sexism etc.

And for those worrying that is the end, they are correct. This is the End of the Beginning, because if you keep reading them, I’ll keep writing em.

This is what I meant when it came to how kind and generous Imp was. That she would encourage others to share their expertise or even inspirations and borrow her vehicle as a way to showcase them...

damn

I wish I were around when this was suggested. I would have encouraged people to take her up on her offer. Time to regroup, methinks. This one hit hard.

@ms-lola: Yeah, that one draws a few tears. :_{