This eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) is  common to eastern North America.  This land dwelling bright orange juvenile, known as a red eft, paid a visit to a Trout Headwaters technician during recent site work in North Carolina.  The newts frequent small lakes, ponds, and streams or near-by wet forests. They can coexist in an aquatic environment with small, noncarnivorous fish, as their skin secretes a poisonous substance when the newt is threatened or injured. They have lifespans of 12 to 15 years in the wild, and may grow to five inches in length.