Neurergus Ghosteri

[RobM]

Recently Alan Cann kindly sent me some young N.Kaiseri (thanks once again Alan). They appear to be very talented, while changing the water in their cage today I found a complete skin! I don't ever recall finding any skin from my adults or other newts which makes this quiet a find for me.
The detail is amazing, you can see the fingers, eye holes and even the tiny bumps on the newts skin.

I thought I would share some pictures with you, unfortunately not all detail will be visible to you, but it still looks cool.

 

[Kaysie]

Nice find! I found sheds from my T. granulosa a lot, and occasionally from T. karelinii. They're always fun to find.

 

[Otterwoman]

That's the coolest one I've ever seen.

 

[ajc]

Interesting, I've never seen this I wonder if they normally get eaten?

 

[RobM]

Interesting, I've never seen this I wonder if they normally get eaten?

Its possible, but if it were out of the water or in several inches of water it would be virtually impossible to find. It is surprisingly tough, but as soon as I took it out the water it clumped together. It only appears like that in the pictures because once I realised what it was I got some tweezers and spread it out. The front legs where inside the body (much like a sleeve pulled inside a jumper), I carefully pulled them out with the tweezers, which gives you some idea of how tough it is. Reminds me or a baby's romper suit, except that the newt had no buttons and had to climb out through the head hole!

 

[Jan]

Rob - like the descriptive genus species name

 

[Kaysie]

I believe they're almost always eaten. Why waste calories?

 

[SludgeMunkey]

I am most certain they are eaten normally too. I have witnessed adults eating them often, juveniles appears to be 50/50. I have witnessed juveniles eating the shed of a different juvenile a few times too.

 

[evut]

The Latin name is really good

I had a ghost T. marmoratus recently
http://www.caudata.org/forum/f1173-...ue-discussion/72516-marmoratus-unwrapped.html

 

[Azhael]

The norm is definitely for them to eat their shed. In some occasions they might not, for example i´ve seen it happen when an animal is chasing another one that is shedding. In the confussion of the chase the shedding animals looses the skin somewhere behind. However, even then, another newt that happens to encounter the shed might eat it. I have yet to see a terrestrial newt fail to eat its shed.

Nice pics Rob

 

[RobM]

Thanks everyone

Don't think it's worth feeding it to them now, it's a bit dry and slightly brown!

 

[RobM]

Found another skin in the water dish today. I must be feeding them too well!