AMPHIBIA: CAUDATA: SALAMANDRIDAE: Taricha

Taricha torosa Rathke, 1833

Rough-skin newt

Photos & text by Dr. Robert Sprackland.

Range: Common throughout woodlands and forests of coastal California and Oregon.

Diagnosis: A medium-sized salamander with rough, granular skin, forward-facing eyes, and a bright orange-yellow belly.

Description:

Natural History: This is one of the best studied salamanders in the world. Their dispersal and homing abilities have been subject to several projects, from which we have learned that the newts use a combination of scent and star positions to navigate.

Reproduction:

Taxonomy & Relationships: Another similar species of rough-skinned newt, Taricha granulosa, is also resident to North America's Pacific coast.

Variation:

Additional Comments: Though generally slow moving and harmless, rough-skin newts possess a powerful neurotoxin that is secreted from the skin. The toxin, identical to that produced in puffer fishes (tetradotoxin), may cause rapid death in a dog or cat that mouths the amphibian. Human fatalities are known, principally a result of intoxicated people swallowing newts on dares. There is no known antivenom for this poison, so dizziness, numbness of the lips and tongue, paralysis and death may follow in short order. Nevertheless, these newts are widely sold in the pet trade. Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling newts, and never place unwashed hands near your eyes, mouth, or open or healing cuts! Never handle newts if you have an open or recent cut.

Type Specimen:

Literature:  Click on book to order.

Petranka, James. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press. ISBN: 1-56098-828-2. NOT AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW.

Stebbins, Robert. 1985. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN: 0-395-38253-X