California Newt

18 responses to “California Newt”

1. 

   BWJones

   Mar 8, 2010 at 2:28 am

   They also have amazing eyes. Much more sophisticated than our own mammalian eyes with the capacity to see in more spectral channels than our own *and* have the ability to regenerate when damaged.

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2. 

   limesphotography

   Mar 8, 2010 at 4:40 am

   HA very cool little critter!

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3. 

   jurvetson

   Mar 8, 2010 at 5:07 am

   BWJones – and from a distance, they appear to have mascara too!

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4. 

   BWJones

   Mar 8, 2010 at 5:48 am

   Heh…

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5. 

   avlxyz

   Mar 8, 2010 at 6:36 am

   tetrodotoxin… perhaps it’d make for an "exciting" meal 🙂
   love teh short stubby finger though!

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6. 

   spectacular writing

   Mar 8, 2010 at 7:32 am

   great pic! and info… not that i make a habit of petting wild newts but just in case…

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7. 

   jitze

   Mar 8, 2010 at 9:25 am

   Hard to figure out scale in this pic – about how big was he?

   I never knew we had toxics around here – from now on I shall keep a beady eye out for yellow-bellies when messing about in the creek. Up to now I assumed they were all harmless…thanks for the heads up.

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8. 

   Dr DAD (Daniel A D’Auria MD)

   Mar 8, 2010 at 10:22 am

   And of course like many southern Californians, he is "well tanned"! Shouldn’t be toxic, however, unless the toxin is ingested. Very nice capture!

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9. 

   TomiTapio

   Mar 8, 2010 at 11:27 am

   Well taken.

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10. 

    sprklg

    Mar 8, 2010 at 11:34 am

    Nice pose!

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11. 

    PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE

    Mar 8, 2010 at 12:57 pm

    Something else visualy cool about them :

    

    Photo : California Newt (Taricha torosa) egg cluster by aroid (Flickr)

    "Like other Taricha members, the glands in the skin of T. torosa secrete the potent neurotoxin tetrodotoxin, which is hundreds of times more toxic than cyanide.

    This is the same toxin found in pufferfish and harlequin frogs. Researchers believe that bacteria synthesize tetrodotoxin and the animals that employ the neurotoxin acquire it through consumption of these bacteria.

    This neurotoxin is so strong that it is enough to kill most vertebrates, including humans. However, they are dangerous only if ingested, and can be safely kept as pets.

    Due to their toxicity, the California newt has few natural predators. Garter snakes are the most common, and some species have developed a genetic resistance to tetrodotoxin." wikipedia

    Thanks for the discovery ; )

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12. 

    jurvetson

    Mar 8, 2010 at 5:00 pm

    very interesting… another bundle of magic…

    Jitze: this was a big fella, about 8" long (head to tail)

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13. 

    Dr DAD (Daniel A D’Auria MD)

    Mar 9, 2010 at 10:42 am

    When armageddon takes place, at least I now know where to go for a supply of poison darts! Add to the list—> stock up on California Newts!

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14. 

    zenera

    Mar 9, 2010 at 8:15 pm

    cutie*

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15. 

    conwest_john

    Mar 11, 2010 at 7:13 pm

    Hi, I’m an admin for a group called Spectacular Animals (Invite Only) Vote for February’s Best, and we’d love to have this added to the group!

    Wonderful photo.

    seen in Voices in the Wilderness: a prayer for wild things

    I saw this image in Voices in the Wilderness

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16. 

    Jose Sousa

    Mar 12, 2010 at 12:07 am

    Cute.

    Seen in Spectacular
    Animals.

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17. 

    greentea flute

    Mar 15, 2010 at 5:43 pm

    really like amphibians, salamanders in particular

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18. 

    CGP Grey

    Jul 12, 2011 at 5:19 pm

    Thanks so much for making you photo available. I’ve used it in a video explaining gerrymandering.

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