California newt
The California newt is a small amphibian with a warty grey back and a bright orange-yellow belly. It lives only in California, in the western United States. Its skin contains a powerful poison, so it is a good example of an animal you should look at but never handle.1

Com reconèixer-lo
- Warty, slate-grey skin on the back1
- Bright orange-yellow skin on the underside1
- Orange skin around the bottom of the eye (the rough-skinned newt has grey there)1
- Eyes that stick out beyond the edge of the jaw when seen from above, giving the head a bullet-like shape1
- Adults are about 13 to 20 cm long1
Sovint es confon amb: The rough-skinned newt looks very similar and is often hard to tell apart in the field. The California newt has orange skin around the bottom of the eye and eyes that stick out past the jaw, while the rough-skinned newt has grey skin there and eyes that do not stick out. The red-bellied newt has dark irises instead of yellow, more red underneath, and a dark band across the vent.1
Poder tòxic
La seva pell és tòxica. És perillós tocar-lo, llepar-lo o menjar-se'l.
Què fan les seves toxines?
This animal is poisonous, not venomous, so it does not bite or sting. Its skin glands release tetrodotoxin, a neurotoxin (a poison that attacks the nerves). It is hundreds of times more toxic than cyanide and is the same toxin found in pufferfish and harlequin frogs. It is strong enough to kill most vertebrates, including humans.1
Com de perillós és per a les persones?
Perill per a les persones: Molt perillósPot matar una persona que no rep tractament.The toxin is strong enough to kill people. Because of their toxin, California newts have very few natural predators.1
Què fa quan té por?
When threatened, it performs the unken reflex: it stretches out, arches its body, and lifts its head and tail into the air to show its bright belly. It can also produce a foamy substance when exposed to high temperatures.1
Si algú l'ha tocat o se l'ha menjat
- Si algú n'ha tocat un: renta-li bé les mans i que no es toqui els ulls ni la boca. Si un nen o una mascota n'ha llepat o menjat un: truca al centre de toxicologia o al número d'emergències.
Truca sempre primer al número d'emergències (112, 000, 911). Això són pautes generals de primers auxilis, no consells mèdics. Primers auxilis bàsics
Estigues segur
- No toquis, atrapis ni molestis mai un animal salvatge, encara que sigui petit i encara que sembli adormit o mort.
- Deixa-li espai. Si en trobes un, mantén la calma, recula a poc a poc i deixa que segueixi el seu camí.
- Si l'has tocat o te l'has menjat: no et freguis els ulls ni la boca, renta't les mans i busca ajuda mèdica.
No va a per tu. Les seves toxines només hi són perquè ningú no se'l mengi. Més sobre com estar segur
Que gran és?
Quant fa de llarg?
fa de llarg com 6 peces de construcció de joguina en filaQue gran és California newt comparat amb TU?
Només càlculs al teu navegador. No es desa ni s'envia res enlloc.
Com de ràpid va?
Dades
Because snakes evolved resistance, newts have evolved to make far more toxin than any other predator could need, an evolutionary arms race.1
The foam the newt produces forms a protective layer that helps it keep moisture and shields it from burns during wildfires.1
Researchers believe bacteria make the tetrodotoxin, and the newts acquire it by eating those bacteria.1
Garter snakes are the most common predator, and some have developed resistance to the newt's toxin.1
Adults usually return to the same pool where they hatched to breed.1
Desmuntamites
Mite: Newts do not make any sounds.
Veritat: California newts make clicks, squeaks and whistles. Clicks are the most common, squeaks are used in defence, and whistles seem to be linked to recognising sex and to social rank.1
Per a experts en verins
- Nom científic
- Taricha torosa
- Grup
- Granotes punta de fletxa, gripaus i tritons
- Família
- Salamandridae2
- Ordre
- Caudata
- Continents
- Amèrica del Nord
- Cries
- Females lay egg masses of between 7 and 30 eggs, attached to plant roots or rocks in small, slow-moving pools. The larvae hatch in early to midsummer, depending on water temperature.1
- Com li va a la natura
- California Special Concern species (DFG-CSC)1
- Perill per a les persones
- 4 / 5: Molt perillós3
D'on surten les dades
- California newt (Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0))
- Taricha torosa (iNaturalist): noms i classificació.
- Venom Wiki: el nivell de perill, la mida típica i la velocitat estimada són nostres. Mira com els calculem: Com valorem el perill.
Cada dada d'aquesta pàgina té un número que porta a la seva font. Si ens hem equivocat en alguna cosa, perdona, som fans dels animals, no una revista científica. Escriu-nos a [email protected] i ho arreglarem.
Toxines a la pell

