Habitats of newts and salamanders

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benkelly13

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Is there any major difference in newt and salamander habitats?
 
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Well...no.
Newts are salamanders, and although generally it can be said that newts are more aquatic, there are salamanders that are equally or more aquatic. There are also newts which are very terrestrial, as many salamanders are.
 
In the United States, it can generally be said that if you're looking for newts, ponds (preferably fish-less) are the place to be.

Outside of March-May, salamanders are typically found under logs, rocks or leaf litter in terrestrial environments.
 
Nathan050793 said:
In the United States..

Outside of March-May, salamanders are typically found under logs, rocks or leaf litter in terrestrial environments.
Click to expand...

With the exceptions there being: Amphiumas in the southeast US; Necturus in the Eastern US; and, the Hellbender in the midwestern/eastern US.....which are aquatic salamanders. The terms newt and salamander do not, as Azhael indicated, necessarily infer habitat.

See this link from Caudata Culture that discusses the term newt vs. salamander:

Caudata Culture - Frequently Asked Questions
 
Out of curiosity then what does constitute whether an amphibian is classed as a salamander or a newt?

I'm not hijacking the thread, honest. It just seemed an appropriate time to ask :p
 
In broad terms, newts are the biphasic species belonging to the family Salamandridae. Biphasic means that during the year they have an aquatic phase and a terrestrial phase. All other families/genera are classed as salamanders.

To confuse matters the family Salamandridae also contains the "true salamanders". Both "newt" and "true salamander" are unofficial names. Essentially all are "salamanders".

Take a look at the species page for a nice overview of caudate families:Caudata Culture Species Database - All Families
 
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As found on the Caudate Culture FAQ:

What is the difference between a newt and a salamander?
There is no meaningful difference. The distinction is more historic and linguistic than scientific. Newts are a subgroup of salamanders. All newts are salamanders, but not all salamanders are newts. The following are the things that distinguish newts from salamanders.

  • A salamander is called a "newt" if it belongs to one of the following genera: Cynops, Echinotriton, Euproctus, Neurergus, Notophthalmus, Pachytriton, Paramesotriton, Pleurodeles, Taricha, Triturus, or Tylototriton. This is the only distinction that is always true.
  • Newts generally spend more of their adult lives in the water than salamanders. However, there are exceptions (terrestrial newts and aquatic salamanders).
  • Newts generally have more distinctive differences between the sexes and a more complex aquatic courtship. Again, there are exceptions.
 
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