Iberian ribbed newt

The Iberian ribbed newt (Pleurodeles waltl), also known <a href="/facts/Common_name/3KNNezEU">commonly</a> as the Spanish ribbed newt and el gallipato in Spanish, is a <a href="/facts/Species/oDg6b96r">species</a> of <a href="/facts/Salamander/5pKurkwV">salamander</a> in the <a href="/facts/Subfamily/2QPtfDS4">subfamily</a> <a href="/facts/Pleurodelinae/2KNMYeSn">Pleurodelinae</a> of the <a href="/facts/Family_(biology)/qTrn6E8E">family</a> <a href="/facts/Salamandridae/GD8fstEn">Salamandridae</a>. The species is native to the central and southern <a href="/facts/Iberian_Peninsula/ztFXI8zt">Iberian Peninsula</a> and <a href="/facts/Morocco/6ly8170M">Morocco</a>. It is the largest European newt species. It is known for its defense mechanisms where their sharp ribs puncture through its sides when in a defensive state, and as such is also called the sharp-ribbed newt and the sharp-ribbed salamander.
This species should not be confused with a different species with a similar common name, the Iberian newt (<a href="/facts/Lissotriton_boscai/xTQBPNP1">Lissotriton boscai</a>).

Iberian ribbed newt open-in-new

Iberian ribbed newt