All printables
Iberian Ribbed Newt — printable fact sheet
Free to print or save as PDF. Great for classrooms, homeschooling, and young explorers.
Creature Atlas
Animal Fact Sheet
Name: ____________________
Date: ____________________
Iberian Ribbed Newt
Pleurodeles waltl
Pleurodeles waltl has one of the most alarming defence mechanisms of any vertebrate: when seized, it swings its sharp-tipped ribs forward and outward, rotating them at the vertebral joints until they pierce right through the skin of its own flanks and protrude as a row of expose…
Did you know?
- When threatened, the Iberian Ribbed Newt can literally push its ribs through its skin to pierce predators and deliver toxins, all while healing these wounds with little lasting damage.
- Iberian ribbed newts spent months aboard the Mir space station, and their regenerating limbs were studied in microgravity. The rib-piercing skin has orange or yellow warts marking exactly where the rib tips emerge - the newt advertises its weapon before it uses it. The species can regenerate its own spinal cord and portions of its brain, making it a key model organism alongside the axolotl.
What I learned
Draw the iberian ribbed newt
© Creature Atlas · www.creatureatlas.com · Free for classroom & personal use
Want the whole set?
Get printable fact-sheet packs, coloring pages, and classroom worksheet bundles for dozens of animals — ready to download and print.
Browse printable packsGet a free printable each week
Join the newsletter for a new Creature of the Week + printables.