Eye of frog and toe of newt
16th March 2010, TuesdayOne of the advantages of being a newt is the potential to regenerate severed limbs, something that frogs and toads are unable to do. One of the disadvantages of being a newt is that your fellow newts have the propensity to bite off bits of your limbs if they get too close!
I found this beautifully marked, and otherwise very healthy looking male smooth newt in my pond yesterday. The toes on the left hind foot were noticeably smaller than normal. Was this animal a victim of toe nibbling, or was it suffering from some sort of infection?
