Newts

Newts, as creatures, have long been associated with the lore of witches and warlocks, often described as “essential ingredients” in the making of secret potions and spells.

The supposed subject of a Pixar and Disney animated feature, an-on-the-works movie titled Newt was scheduled for production and release some two years back, set as a romantic comedy telling the story of how the last two blue-footed newts in the world came to save their species.

The movie, however, didn’t mature into a featured release, but its cancellation hasn’t done anything bad for newts in general.

Linked with the salamander family, newts are aquatic amphibians found in Asia, Europe and in North America. As with most amphibians, newts go through the developmental metamorphosis amphibians are known for, with an aquatic larva stage and a terrestrial juvenile stage, which is followed by its adult stage.

With lizard-like bodies, newts either spend most of their days in aquatic environments and ecosystems, or live as “land lizards” only going to the water when mating season comes. A number of newts are also known to live “semi-aquatic, semi-terrestrial” lives, taking the time to either hang out in the water or stay on dry ground in balanced installments.

Bearing characteristics similar with salamanders, newts sport semi-permeable skins which aren’t as smooth as those found in salamanders, and also have a limb structure that is similar with salamanders.

One interesting thing about newts is their ability to regenerate body parts which are lost due to injury from predatory attacks and/or accidents. In most cases, a newt could regenerate a lost limb and also has the ability to regenerate lost upper and/or lower jaws. They can also regenerate eyes, hearts, intestines and spinal cords.

This regeneration ability is one of the reasons why the newt is often used as “essential ingredients” in the making of secret potions and spells (eye of newt, anyone?).

As creatures with regenerative abilities, modern science has yet been able to exactly define what gives newts this edge over other creatures, but as baffled as science is (to date) with the newt, newts continue to be unique creatures under Mother Nature’s care.