California NewtTaricha torosa
Quick facts
- Rarity
- Common
- Active during
- Night
- Found in
- Pollywog Cove
- Length
- 7 in
- Wingspan
- 2.5 in
From the field notes
Diet
These newts are slow-moving, so they spend their evenings slurping up earthworms, soft slugs, and mosquitoes from the leaf litter and muddy pond bottoms.
Defense
The skin glands of this amphibian secrete tetrodotoxin (TTX), a potent neurotoxin that is hundreds of times more lethal than cyanide. If threatened, the newt will flash its bright orange underbelly to warn of its toxins.
Migration & Transformation
Using scents and Earth's magnetic fields to navigate, these newts will walk for miles to return to the exact pond where they hatched to breed. Upon arriving, their skin shifts to become smooth and slimy, while their rounded tails flatten out into paddles for swimming.
Immune Predator
The common garter snake is locked in a millions-of-years-long evolutionary arms race with the newt. The snakes have slowly developed a specialized genetic mutation that makes them immune to the newt's toxins.
Field Marks
During the rainy breeding season, the male newts are completely smooth and sleek. Otherwise, they are identified by their rough, bumpy brown backs.