Eft that LIKES the water?!

EasternNewtLove

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New Hampshire
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Jesse
I was herping with my friend today and in a little depression from tire tracks in the woods (it's pretty big and deep) I saw a red tail flicking around swimming. I thought to myself "I HAVE to catch that! It's too big to be a bloodworm" not worrying about how gross it may be... I grabbed in where it swam under and in a huge clump of dead leaves and gross slime I found a red eft. This little weirdo goes to the water purposely. He's been hangin out in the water in the temporary tank for the past 5 hours, he's alive too. I'm paranoid and keep checking XD I took him as I thought an eft that likes water may be good for future captive breeding. Is this a common occurrence? Also, do male Ambystoma Maculatum deposit spermatophore before females arrive? In the same depression the eft was in, I found big spermatophores. No salamanders were in there though. Just some more specifics, I'm in Southern New Hampshire.
 
I have a theory now. Is it possible that a gene allows him to breath underwater before metamorphosis? The other efts I have had have had a look of oily skin when placed in water. Like... It looks like it has an oily coating almost but they are rough. This one's skin does not have the "slick when wet" appearance of others. The eft that likes the water has much smoother skin. It sits at the bottom and only comes up for air. If land is available, it goes on occasionally. All other eft I've had freak out when introduced to a bucket of water. They swim frantically. This one serenely sits around and crawls on the bottom. It swims good too. I can upload pictures soon.
 
I have seen efts migrate with adults, even though they were obviously not sexually mature. I have no proof, but I believe that for their last year(s) of eft-ness, they make 'practice runs'.

Spotted salamanders will drop spermatophores everywhere. Once I caught 80 males in a minnow trap. There must've been 200 spermatophores inside the trap, and nary a female to be seen.
 
It´s not a gene, it´s perfectly normal newt physiology. Efts and terrestrial adults have rough, hydrophobic skin with corneous tubercles (the tiny dark bumps). When it´s time to become aquatic, hormones change the physiology of the skin (and subsequently, the animal sheds one or more times in a short span) to adapt to the new environment. Typically it becomes smoother, looses the tubercles and gets covered with mucus to allow skin respiration.
The only unnusual thing about the animal you found is that it became aquatic at a relativily earlier stage than the majority. This kind of thing happens frequently as there is variation in this aspect, as with anything else. It´s more frequent in some populations and it´s even the norm in some subspecies that have no eft stage.

When efts become aquatic it´s not a metamorphosis, by the way. Obviously before metamorphosis you don´t need a magic gene that allows you to breathe underwater, you need many non-magic genes to make gills ;)
 
Well thanks everyone. I just thought maybe I found some really special animal that could lead to some advancement in breeding. Oddly enough, he is much smaller than my older eft who has rough skin still and is still scared of being in water.
 
Sorry no special gene...Good to see someone here from New Hampshire!
 
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