Palmate newt: The palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus) is found in the U.K., Western and Northern Europe and is often found living in ponds, marshes and lakes. They are olive-green or brown with yellow or pale orange bellies. As Dr. Newt explains in the video, the males have webbed feet on their hind legs that develop during the April-May breeding season. It also develops a smooth crest on its back that extends to the end of the tail, forming a fin. The female palmate newts apparently get all wet at seeing this. Of course, that might be because they’re already under water.

Rough-skinned newt: Dr. Newt’s breed, the rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa) is the king of all newts. The doctor proved this in a paper for an undergrad Foundations in Newtoronomy class. Living in North America, the light-brown to brownish black newt with an orange or yellow belly rough-skinned newt has the distinction of being the only newt on record to kill a human with its poison. Of course, in that case, I believe the newt died too. But still, it’s quite a feat to take down an assumedly healthy 29-year-old. No sissy-assed fire-belly newt has ever done that.