CDR Salamander: The dissection of Al Gore

CDR Salamander. Proactively “From the Sea”; leveraging the littoral best practices for a paradigm breaking six-sigma best business case in the global commons, rightsizing the core values supporting our mission statement via the 5-vector .....more...

Salamander afternoons « African Alchemy

The lizard (or salamander in older traditions) basks in the light of these cards to signify the importance of vision in the midst of action. In fact, in alchemical lore, it was believed that the lizard renewed its sight by looking into .....more...

Salamander halts 98 Bypass | ricksblog.biz

Salamander halts 98 Bypass. The goal of the Hwy 98 Bypass it to reduce the driving time from Pensacola to Panama City to one hour and 45 minutes. The price tag is $3 billion for the toll road. The cost for the environmental impact study .....more...

there's a salamander in my slipper!: any suggestions?

There was once an actual salamander in my Dad’s slipper (His house is in a rather wooded area and is a haven to many non-human creatures.), and my best friend and I thought that would make a great children’s book title. .....more...

Salamander Design’s Madrid Home Entertainment Cabinet - CyberTheater

Recently, Salamander Designs, Ltd., a leading designer and manufacturer of modern furniture and mounting products for Home Theater and A/V entertainment systems unveiled its new Madrid Home Entertainment Cabinet. .....more...

Roland’s Ramblings » Gerrymander, not Salamander

Today, Roland’s Ramblings is about gerrymander, not salamander. The term gerrymander refers to the drawing of political boundary lines to the benefit of a controlling political party. The action of drawing those boundaries is referred .....more...

Third-Hand Smoke Best Detected By The Nose {The 5th Sense in the ...

Subscribe to The Scented Salamander. Third-Hand Smoke Best Detected By The Nose {The 5th Sense in the News}. Curtains-Tobacco-Smell.jpg A new term has been coined to designate those remnants of smoking that are not associated with .....more...

Eastern Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) on Flickr - Photo ...

Tiger Salamanders are among the largest terrestrial salamanders in the US, and can reach lengths of 13 inches. They spend most of their lives underground, emerging only to court and lay eggs in breeding pools...more...

Interesting Hybrid Perfuming Concept by Memo: Grapefruit from ...

Subscribe to The Scented Salamander. Interesting Hybrid Perfuming Concept by Memo: Grapefruit from Argentina & Orange Blossom from Italy (2008) {Fragrance News}. memo-Organic-scents.jpg Belatedly but still interestingly we learn that .....more...

Otto's War Room (毛派): Al Franken wins!

Election officials certified the recount results which handed Franken victory with a margin of 225 votes out of nearly three million ballots cast in the November 4 election. For more click here. posted by Salamander 奥托 @ 5:54 PM .....more...

BBC News Search: salamander (12)

Bio-rich Costa Rica's new marvels

Three new species of salamander are discovered in a remote forest reserve in Central America.

Rare 'Peter Pan' axolotl grows up

A Devon man discovers his rare amphibian has undergone a metamorphosis to become an air-breathing salamander.

Robo-salamander's evolution clues

A Franco-Swiss team uses a robot amphibian to study how the first land animals on Earth might have walked.

Fossil frogs yield 'soft tissues'

Scientists say they have extracted bone marrow from the 10-million-year-old remains of frogs and salamanders.

Global plan to rescue amphibians

The price of saving the world's frogs, toads and salamanders will cost more than $400m over five years.

Hunting threat to big amphibians

Illegal hunting is bringing the Chinese giant salamander, the world's largest amphibian, to the brink of extinction.

Earliest salamanders discovered

Scientists find the earliest known salamanders - specimens up to 165 million years old - in fossil beds in Mongolia and China.

'Pompeii' salamanders fill fossil gap

A collection of petrified Chinese salamanders give scientists valuable new information about amphibian evolution.

Amphibian decline 'has many causes'

The decline and even disappearance of frogs, toads, newts and salamanders across the world has no single cause, a US biologist says.

The salamander's secret sexual scent

Scientists have identified the secret love potion a salamander uses to woo his mate.

Orbit boost for Mir

Russian space officials are to boost Mir into a higher orbit, strongly suggesting they intend to keep the space station.

Hunt is on for Sandwell salamander

Sightings of an "alligator" in a lake in the West Midlands have forced the local council to ban windsurfers, anglers and canoeists from the waters.

How Do I Get Newts In My Pond?

Newts are a type of amphibian that look a lot like salamanders. However, unlike salamanders, newts spend most or all of their life in the water. They are descended from salamanders, but branched off around sixty million years ago. Now, they're found in many temperate parts of the world, including Asia, Northern Africa, Europe, and North America.

Some types have a terrestrial form (referred to as an eft), that lives on land to find a new home, then come back to the water when mature. Newts are popular among pond owners. They're charming, cute little creatures in their own right. However, having a population of newts also means that your pond is very healthy, since these creatures have somewhat specific living requirements. If you're thinking about colonizing your pond with newts, or setting it up to attract these little creatures, here's some information that might help.

Newts are often food for other creatures. This means that having newts might draw some impressive looking birds to your pond, but it also means you'll have to pay attention to what's living in and around it if you want to keep your newt population alive. Carnivorous fish often pick off these little lizard-like creatures, making it hard to keep the population up. As well, if there are any ducks frequenting your pond, they may eat the vegetation your newts are laying their eggs in, giving them no place to breed. This doesn't mean you have to chase off all predatory birds or remove newt-eating fish from your pond. It does mean that it's a good idea to try to provide habitat and other conditions that encourage a thriving population that won't be damaged by predation.

Another danger that can kill stocked or native newts is the pump of a small pond. If you have a smaller pond which requires a pump for circulation, newts can be sucked into the pump and killed. Even if you use wire mesh, these pumps can kill very small newts. You can solve this problem by using an ultra fine mesh, or by placing your pump underneath a weighted upside down pot with a hole cut in it. Remember to use mesh over this hole as well. These methods will cut down on the number of newts you lose, and on unpleasant filter cleaning.

Newts can live in fairly shallow ponds, and prefer slopes with lots of plants. High density weeds will encourage them. A good environment for newts will help you develop a breeding population that will stand up to even predatory fish and birds. While tadpoles and young newts may fall prey, a pond that can support them will encourage their numbers to increase. Expect to see baby newts around April and May, if your animals are breeding. You can either make your pond suitable for the local species of newt that you'd like to attract (specific conditions vary by species) or purchase newts and stock your pond. The second is more expensive, but also gives you a better chance of seeing these animals live and grow in your waters.