Newtling?

On a recent trip to see the progression of tadpole to frog at the creek we couldn't believe our eyes. Kyrstyn spotted this little fellow and we thought we were seeing things.

This is a newt larva.

Yes that is what they are called. I was thinking there must be a better name for them but I searched far and wide, on the world wide web, which is a pretty big place ya' know and larva is all I could find. Not like mudpuppy or waterdog that baby salamanders are known as. Hmmm ... seems like we might want to come up with something else and then appeal to the powers that be. I can see it now, "Hello Mr. President, yes well ... we were thinking that maybe we could re-name baby newts with something more fancy than larva ... yes I know there are far more pressing matters but ..."  OK maybe not, perhaps we will just call them something else around here, like "Clyde". 

So just in case you are curious, like I am, newt larva are typically born in the late summer. Fertilized eggs are laid singly on aquatic plants. Unlike eggs from frogs or toads that are laid in clumps or strings. The mother newt folds the plant leaf over so it adheres to the egg to protect it. The egg hatches after about three weeks. The larva eat algae and small invertebrates, like tadpoles.