Try me, I dare you
This is one newt you want to just leave be. He may be small but that doesn't matter when he can easily kill predators several times larger than himself including humans. Here are some videos of the newt. More info below.
Sums up the newt nicely
Walks about as fast as a turtle
Shows the newt feeding
Taken by Jsayre64 via Wikipedia
Taken by elias_daniel via Flickr
Taken by MiguelVieira via Flickr
Scientific Name: T. granulosa
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Caudata
Family: Salamandridae
Genus: Taricha
Key Characteristics:
- Name comes from their grainy skin texture
- Color can vary but typically lower eyelids are dark with yellow irises
- Newt skin colors can range from dark grey to reddish-brown
- Males are larger than females
- During mating season males develop smooth, spongy skin which also becomes lighter colored
- The newt has very few predators and the garter snake is the only regular predator known
- The newt is randomly eaten by inexperienced animals to the newt like bull frogs, fish, even ducks but only certain kinds of trout and black bass actually survive the digestion
- Touching the newts does not seem to effect humans directly (except for some cases of skin irritation) but rubbing the toxins in eyes for example could be very painful
- Invertebrates, other salamanders, tiny fish, frog eggs, and larvae
Habitat/Geography:
- Grasslands, forests, woodlands, near aquatic habitats such as ponds, streams, and creeks
- West coast of North America, from southern California to British Colombia
Fun Fact:
- A study estimates that a single newt's poison can kill 25,000 mice
Sources:
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