Category: Amphibians
This uniquely beautiful amphibian is also known as the emperor newt. Their bright orange glands, arranged in two parallel rows against the dark background of their dorsal surface, warn of their extremely toxic secretions – the poison from one newt’s glands can kill around 7,500 mice! Nonetheless, they are generally safe to handle – as long such handling is done carefully and gently. They inhabit pools and slow-moving streams high in the mountains of the Chinese province of Yunnan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_newt
http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Frog-Amphibian-Species/Mandarin-Newt/
An Ample Amphibian
Before reptiles and mammals appeared to challenge amphibian supremacy on the land, amphibians were much larger. But while they have shrunk in size over the last 315 million years, the Chinese Giant Salamander never got the memo: at up to 5.9 feet in length and 66lbs, this amphibian is longer than your dog, and probably weighs at least as much! Compare that to Paedophryne amanuensis, the world’s smallest frog (and smallest vertebrate) who is the size of a house fly! Due to habitat loss, environmental changes, and over-hunting/collecting, the Chinese giant Salamander is critically endangered, though conservation efforts to save it are underway today.
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