The Spanish Ribbed Newt (Pleurodeles waltl) is a freshwater amphibian in the Salamandridae family of salamanders. It is also called the Iberian Ribbed Newt and the Sharp-Ribbed Newt.
The Spanish Ribbed Newt has a dark-grey body with lighter grey sides. It has small, rust-coloured spots near its ribs. It has a flat spade-shaped head and a long tail. It has tubercles running down each side of its body, with sharp ribs which can puncture through its sides. As it pushes its ribs out, as a defence mechanism, it secretes poison from glands on its body.
The Spanish Ribbed Newt can regenerate limbs that are damaged or drop off. It can also regenerate other body parts.
It grows up to 30 centimetres (12 inches) in length. The male is smaller and thinner than the female.
It is endemic to the central and southern Iberian Peninsula of Portugal and Spain, and also in Morocco. It lives in and out of the water, but mostly in water. It can walk on land and swim in water. It likes ponds, wells, and places with still, quiet, deep water.
It feeds on insects, worms, and tadpoles.
Location of photographs: Parc Zoologique de Paris in Bois de Vincennes, France
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM