Unusual Abnormalities in Eastern Newts?

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NewYorkHerper16
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Unusual Abnormalities in Eastern Newts?

Post by NewYorkHerper16 »

I visited a pond in Greene County, NY and quickly noticed that many of the newts there had some abnormalities. Many of them were lumpy, asymmetrical, and had weird swelling. This particular pond has a very high newt population. The pond is fed by a creek that dries up in the summer, so it becomes slightly stagnant. Newts from other wetlands in the county seem to be normal, for the most part. Greene County is located up in the Catskills where the human population is relatively low and the soil for is generally unsuited for farming, so I don't think any human-caused factors like pesticides/fertilizers are to blame. I was thinking it might be caused by some parasite such as a nematode or trematode, but I am unsure. Below are some photos of one of the worst ones seen, and in some pictures I placed a relatively normal newt alongside for comparison.
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ZantiMissKnit
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Joined: September 14th, 2012, 9:43 am
Location: Boston area, MA

Re: Unusual Abnormalities in Eastern Newts?

Post by ZantiMissKnit »

Oh, man...in the last photo, it appears the newt can barely move!
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Kyle from Carolina
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Joined: May 3rd, 2012, 8:12 pm
Location: western MA and NC

Re: Unusual Abnormalities in Eastern Newts?

Post by Kyle from Carolina »

I've never seen that before but maybe it's a natural density-disease/parasite relationship, like you suggested. I would be interested to know if you found dead ones washed up in the shallows, as sometimes seen in mass die-offs.
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