The Blue-Tailed Fire Belly Newts are salamanders indigenous to Japan and China. Like most other ‘fire belly’ newts, these amphibians have a brightly-colored belly, while the males of the species exhibit a bluish tail during the breeding season. They eat very little, once in every three days.

Scientific Name – Cynops cyanurus

Classification – Cynops

Gender Names – Male – boar; Female – sow; Baby – eft

Collective Noun – Herd, congress

Length/Size – Up to 4.5 inches (females being larger)

Life Expectancy – 6 to 10 years

Special Features – Carries a toxin in the skin that can be harmful if ingested

Geographical Distribution – Only in Guizhou and Yunnan in China, and some parts of Japan

Natural Habitat – Tropical to subtropical marshy lowlands and forests, freshwater marshes, and irrigated land

Conservation Status – Least Concern

Diet – Crickets, slugs, bloodworms, and earthworms

Predators – Foxes, grass snakes and herons; young ones and eggs are mostly consumed by fishes