A little damp, very welcome.

Chinese Fire-bellied Newt

Cynops orientalis

Also called Oriental fire-bellied newt, Chinese fire belly newt

SpeciesShort profile

From East-central China, in shallow, plant-rich ponds and old rice paddies in subtropical areas.1 2

At a glance the quick version

Length5.6 to 10.2 cm1

Sizesmall

Small and suited to a modest aquarium

Vivid orange belly

Widely available as a pet

Looks how to spot one

Small, smooth-skinned aquatic newt

A small newt with fairly smooth skin, a rounded tail and only faint glands behind the head. It is smaller and smoother than the similar Japanese fire-bellied newt and lacks an orange spot behind the eye.1 2

ColoursBlack or dark brown backLighter tan-grey flecks on some individualsBright orange to red belly with black spots1 2

Personality what they are like

A peaceful, mostly aquatic newt that spends its time slowly exploring plants and the bottom of its pond.1 2

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Mostly aquatic, moving through vegetation and resting on plants; becomes less active in cold periods.1 2

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Keep in a planted aquarium or semi-aquatic setup with cool water; in the wild it breeds in water around 15-23 C.2 1

Home where they are happiest

Shallow, well-planted water with places to climb out or rest near the surface, mirroring the vegetation-rich ponds and paddies of its home.1 2

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Carnivore that eats small aquatic animals such as worms and insect larvae.2

Company who they like around

Lives in mixed groups in its home ponds, where males usually outnumber females by around 2.3 to 1.2

The story where it all began

French missionary-naturalist Armand David described the species in 1873. It is now one of the newts most often seen in pet shops, where it is regularly confused with the Japanese fire-bellied newt.1

Fun facts for the dinner table

1
Its bright orange belly is a warning signal to predators.1
2
Females wrap single eggs in the leaves of water plants, laying around 100 eggs in a season.2
3
Males court females with a tail-fanning display.2
4
Larvae take about 50-80 days to turn into young newts.2

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List: Least Concern1
Taxonomy: Described by Armand David in 18731

The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you

A typical home-care rhythm for a Chinese Fire-bellied Newt. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.

MistingKeep the humidity upevery day
Fresh waterDechlorinated waterevery day
Temperature checkevery day
FeedingHow often depends on species and agevaries
Spot cleanevery 2 days
Full cleanevery month
Vet check-upFind a vet who sees exotic petsevery year

Start a free diary

Fire Salamander

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Where this comes from

Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Chinese fire belly newt - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.orgused for range, status, size, description, history, pet trade
Cynops orientalis - AmphibiaWeb (University of California, Berkeley) amphibiaweb.orgused for colours, habitat, diet, reproduction, water temperature

Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.