Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How do salamanders and newts survive the winters up north? How do they avoid freezing to death and what do they do for food?

Salamanders & newts do fine in the north. I don't know why they don't freeze to death. I do know they avoid it by staying underground in burrows during the coldest months.

I've never witnessed these little guys in their natural environments. I live in AZ.

Still its a fascinating subject.

Sharon

It depends on the species where they go to avoid freezing. I've collected two-lined salamander larva in the middle of winter under ice in streams. They avoid freezing by staying in spots where the temperature doesn't reach the freezing temperature. For another example red back salamanders retreat down earthworm burrows until they are below the frost line.

Ed

When I was a kid, I used to catch Rough skinned newts and I kept them in a 10 gallon aquarium in our garage (my mom wouldn't tolerate them in the house because all the pond water stank!) One winter the tank froze solid. I was horrified and thought all the newts were dead, but when the tank thawed out there they were swimming around like normal.

They didn't suffer any sort of freeze burn or hypothermia and I later learned that some species of amphibians and fish survive the winters because they can actually hibernate in ice.

I would NOT advise freezing any newts intentionally however!

Farvoyager

Is it your iguana? Did you take the pic?
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0.1 Hog Island Boa Isaboa
1.3.0 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
1.1.4 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton, Olivia Newton John & Helmut Newton
1.1.0 cats Gus & Mena

Thanks! Yea, thats Luke. Photography is one of my many hobbies. Here's one of my beardie, Dutchess...

Those are really wonderful. The iguana one in particular is magazine-quality! You should submit them somewhere.
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0.1 Hog Island Boa Isaboa
1.3.0 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
1.1.4 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton, Olivia Newton John & Helmut Newton
1.1.0 cats Gus & Mena