Captain van Toch is a world-weary sea captain with sky-blue eyes who has sailed the oceans for thirty years. He stumbles across a species of large, intelligent salamanders in Devil Bay and establishes a business plan to use them as pearl divers. He enjoys spending time with the creatures and demonstrates a rare empathy for them, treating them with a degree of paternal care.

G. H. Bondy is a highly successful businessman and industrialist in Czechoslovakia. Seeing himself as a poet of industry, he agrees to fund the captain's pearl-gathering enterprise. He prioritizes business expansion and efficiency over personal connection, scaling the newt operation into a massive global syndicate.

Mr. Povondra serves as the porter and butler to the wealthy G. H. Bondy. He holds deep pride in his position and his judgment of character. Recognizing the historical significance of the newt discovery, he takes up the hobby of collecting newspaper clippings about them.

Andy, officially designated as Andrew Scheuchzer, is an unusually intelligent salamander placed on public display. By reading the newspapers brought by his keeper, he develops a vocabulary and worldview based entirely on the daily press, drawing massive public and scientific attention.

Frantik is the young son of Bondy's porter, Mr. Povondra. He grows up during the newt era, providing a chronological anchor for his father's collection of historical clippings. As an adult, he works at a post office and discusses global politics with his father.

Mrs. Povondra is the practical wife of the porter. She tolerates her husband's eccentric hobby but periodically throws out portions of his archives when they take up too much space in their home, frustrating his documentation efforts.

Mr. Golombek is a newspaper editor at a Czech publication. He pursues human interest stories to inspire his readers and ultimately interviews Captain van Toch, directing the captain to seek out Bondy for investment.

Serving as a newspaper editor alongside Mr. Golombek, Mr. Valenta seeks engaging content for his readers. He travels to Jevicko to capture Captain van Toch's adventures in print, helping to publicize the sailor's findings.

Abe is a wealthy young man who owns the yacht Gloria Pickford. Gifted the boat by his parents, he uses it to travel with friends and finance artistic projects, maintaining a pragmatic approach to the surreal events they encounter.

Li, also known as Miss Lily Valley, is an aspiring actress and artist traveling on Abe's yacht. She envisions herself starring in dramatic, nature-focused films and embraces the unusual discovery of the newts as an artistic opportunity, interacting with the creatures for a camera crew.

Fred is an old school friend of Abe joining the yacht trip to Tahuara. He takes part in making the monster film featuring the newly discovered sea creatures, helping orchestrate the project's logistics and pitching dramatic headlines.

Judy accompanies Fred on the yacht vacation. She operates lighting equipment during the filming of the mysterious creatures and occasionally clashes with Li over their differing personalities and priorities.

Mr. Greggs runs the Reptile House at the London Zoo. He takes a personal interest in an extraordinary salamander on display, deciding to teach the creature to read using daily newspapers, thus shaping the animal's entire understanding of the human world.

Sir Charles Wiggam is the director of the London Zoo. He brings in scientific authorities to evaluate the talking salamander, prioritizing the institution's prestige and formal research over personal bonds with the animals.

Dr. Van Dott is a human delegate sent to represent the political and territorial interests of the newts during high-stakes diplomatic negotiations regarding coastal lands. He participates in tense bureaucratic debates concerning humanity's future.

Serving as a proxy diplomat for the newts, Julien Rosso Castelli represents their interests against human nations. He pushes aggressively for the newts' territorial demands and threatens force if monetary offers are rejected by the European delegates.

Manoel Carvalho acts as a human representative for the newts during the Vaduz conference. He attempts to persuade the European nations to accept the newts' terms by highlighting their ability to extract gold from seawater, framing their expansion as a lucrative economic opportunity.

Minister Deval is a human politician tasked with protecting French territorial interests during a major international conference, reacting with outrage to demands that affect his nation's coastlines. He exemplifies the political friction that arises between entrenched human nations.

Creux represents Belgian interests during the high-stakes political negotiations regarding the expanding newt populations. He participates in the bureaucratic proceedings that attempt to resolve the international crisis without sacrificing European land.

Jensen is a sailor aboard the Kandong Bandoeng. He witnesses the strange activities of the captain at night but chooses to keep the discovery of the sea creatures quiet out of loyalty to his employer.

Dingle is a former sailor for Captain van Toch who leaves the ship after kicking one of the strange lizards. He believes the captain is engaging in dark practices to acquire his wealth of pearls and attempts to secure religious intervention for the man's soul.