Alligator newt

At the Detroit Zoo
The habitat for this species provides plenty of rocky spaces to hide along a cold, clear water basin. Outside the basin are areas to burrow.

Description
The alligator newts are originally native to Japan and Taiwan, but are now extinct in Taiwan. They are uniformly dark brown or black with only the undersides of their tails and soles of their feet colored a yellow-orange. These flat amphibians have a series of 12-15 knob-like lateral glands running down their backs. Their natural habitats are evergreen forests, grasslands and swamps. They have also been found in and near sugarcane fields.