3 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Peaceful but a big eater; will prey on small fish.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
Peaceful but a big eater; will prey on small fish. Best alone in cool water.
Check your local laws. Protected in Spain (Royal Decree 3181/1980). US: genus Pleurodeles is listed as injurious under the Lacey Act (Bsal rule): no import into the US or shipment between US jurisdictions without a permit. Check the rules where you live before you buy one, and never release it into the wild.
Good to know: Mostly aquatic but needs a ramp and a tight lid.
Earthworms, bloodworms, thawed shrimp and pellets.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Males are slimmer and usually smaller, with longer tails; in the breeding season males develop dark nuptial pads on the front legs and a broader tail base and fin.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Egg-layer · Moderate
Breeds in the wet season (timing varies: October-May in parts of Spain, February-April near León). Eggs are attached in small groups to submerged plants or objects.
Pair or trio.
Large aquarium with plants and hiding spots.
Cool rest then warming.
150 (young females) to about 1,300 eggs laid over 2-3 days in groups of 9-20; larvae (11 mm) hatch after about 13 days at 18 °C.
Larvae eat daphnia, baby brine shrimp.
A large, mostly aquatic newt from Spain, Portugal and northern Morocco. When attacked it can push its sharp ribs through its skin, coated with a toxic secretion. Widely used as a lab animal, including in space experiments.
German naturalist Karl Michahelles described the Iberian ribbed newt in 1830. It is the largest European newt. It is widely used in research and is easy to breed.
First described by Karl Michahelles in 1830. Named for Named after German naturalist Joseph Waltl.
11 facts checked with sources
Amphibian (newt), not a fish. Spelling is 'waltl' (not 'waltli'). ASW notes two genetically distinct groups (SE/E Spain + N Morocco vs Portugal/SW-central Spain).
Amphibian Species of the World (AMNH): Pleurodeles waltlNew value. Subfamily Pleurodelinae.
Wikipedia: Iberian ribbed newt · Amphibian Species of the World (AMNH): Pleurodeles waltlTotal length incl. tail. Wild maximum ~29-31 cm, captive animals rarely over 20 cm; legacy 25 cm sits between and is kept. size-pick: wild record 31.2 cm (males).
AmphibiaWeb: Pleurodeles waltl · Wikipedia: Iberian ribbed newtLegacy 15-20 years. AmphibiaWeb: 8-12 years typical in captivity, possibly 20+. Quote 'op' is the source's typo.
AmphibiaWeb: Pleurodeles waltlAlmost fully aquatic, but no source rates a water level.
AmphibiaWeb: Pleurodeles waltlNew value. Legacy story omitted Portugal. IUCN: Least Concern now (Wikipedia; was Near Threatened in 2006/2009, as AmphibiaWeb still shows).
Amphibian Species of the World (AMNH): Pleurodeles waltl · AmphibiaWeb: Pleurodeles waltlLegacy: slimmer male, nuptial pads - agrees. Pads are on the forelimbs. 'Swollen vent' not quoted.
Wikipedia: Iberian ribbed newt · AmphibiaWeb: Pleurodeles waltlLegacy 'breeds readily after a cool winter and warm spring; eggs laid on plants' broadly agrees. Female can store sperm up to five months (Wikipedia).
AmphibiaWeb: Pleurodeles waltlLegacy 100-500 eggs is too low at the top end.
AmphibiaWeb: Pleurodeles waltlLegacy said 'ribs can poke through the skin when stressed' - verified (defensive). Added Portugal.
Wikipedia: Iberian ribbed newt · AmphibiaWeb: Pleurodeles waltlUS Lacey Act injurious-wildlife listing (interim rule effective 28 Jan 2016, affirmed as final in Jan 2025, when 16 more genera were added): import into the US and shipment between the jurisdictions covered by the statute (continental US, DC, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, territories) are prohibited without a permit; eggs/gametes are exempt and sale/possession within a state is not affected. The 2016 notice also banned interstate transport within the continental US, but the 2025 rule says it does not prohibit transport between states within the continental US (following the 2017 court ruling). Like all European amphibians it is on Bern Convention Appendix III (per Wikipedia smooth-newt article; not checked for this species specifically). EU Habitats Directive listing not confirmed by any fetched source.
AmphibiaWeb: Pleurodeles waltl · USFWS: List of Salamander Species Designated as Injurious (effective 2016) · USFWS final rule + second interim rule, Federal Register 10 Jan 2025 (FR Doc. 2024-31203): Listing Salamanders Due to Risk of Salamander Chytrid Fungus