The most familiar species is the common red-spotted newt of the eastern and
                        central U.S. The adult is tannish-green, spotted on the sides with blotches of red
                        surrounded by black and spotted below with black. This salamander lives in thickly
                        vegetated ponds and streams and feeds on aquatic snails and insects. The female
                        attaches its sticky eggs to aquatic plants; the newly hatched larvae have gills that
                        become rudimentary when the larvae are about 2.5 cm (about 1 in) long. At this
                        point, the larvae, which are bright reddish-orange with black spots and known as red
                        efts, leave the water and spend the next few years on land in damp, wooded
                        regions. They eventually return to the water, develop the adult coloration, and remain
                        in an aquatic habitat. 

                        The giant newt, a common American species, grows to more than 15 cm (6 in).
                        Common European species include the spotted newt; the crested newt, the male of
                        which develops a crest during the breeding season; and the palmate newt.