Rough-skinned newt - Sierra Club BC
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Rough-skinned newt

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Rough-skinned newt

Taricha granulosa

Appearance

These newts are small, less than 10 centimetres long. They have a dark back and a yellow or orange belly. They have pale eyes, a long flat tail and their body is covered in little bumps.

Range & Habitat

They are found from Alaska to California in damp woodlands, grasslands and near swamps. They are mostly found underneath leaves, logs and in dark, damp areas. 

Reciprocal Relationships

The rough-skinned newt eats small insects and worms. It is also unique in that it has an evolutionary race against the common garter snake. The rough-skin newt possesses a poison in their skin which would be enough to kill up to 20 people. Therefore, they do not have many predators, except the garter snake which has evolved to resist this toxin. 

Rough-skinned newts breed in ponds in the early spring and summer. They lay their eggs covered in slime and attached to the undersides of leaves. The young hatch soon afterward. After hatching, they stay in the water to keep cool, until they metamorphose about 90 days later into adults.

Newts’ habitats are threatened by logging, pollution and habitat fragmentation. In Karuk tradition, Púfpuuf is a spiritual entity that took the form of a salamander to oversee the quality of spring and creek waters, representing a thriving riparian and aquatic ecosystem. 

Status

COSEWIC: Not Reported 
CDC: Yellow 

MORE INFORMATION

If you belong to a First Nation with a story or piece of information not represented here and you would like to share more about this species, please email us at education@sierraclub.bc.ca

Photo Credit

Canva

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