| Red-bellied newt | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Urodela |
| Family: | Salamandridae |
| Genus: | Taricha |
| Species: | T. rivularis |
| Binomial name | |
| Taricha rivularis (Twitty, 1935) | |
 | |
| Red-bellied newt distribution | |
The red-bellied newt (Taricha rivularis) is a newt that is native to coastal woodlands in northern California and is terrestrial for most of its life.
When full grown, the red-bellied newt measures between 2.75 to 3.5 in (70 to 89 mm) from its nose to its vent, and between 5.5 and 7.5 in (140 and 190 mm) from its nose to its tail. It has grainy skin, and is brownish-black on top with a tomato-red underbelly. [2] The male red-bellied newt often has a dark, broad coloring across the vent, while females do not. [3] Breeding males develop smooth skin and a flattened tail. The red-bellied newt can be distinguished from other coastal newts by its red belly and a lack of yellow in its eyes.
The red-bellied newt is found in California along the coast from Bodega in Sonoma County, inland to Lower Lake, and north to Honeydew, Humboldt County. [4] It lives in coastal woodlands, especially in redwood forests. [2] There is a disjunct population 130 kilometres (81 mi) south of Sonoma County in the upper watershed of Stevens Creek in the Santa Cruz Mountains that is genetically identical to the Sonoma County population. [5] [6]
Newts begin their lives as aquatic larvae similar to tadpoles, though elongated and with external gills. Once newt larvae mature into their adult form, which takes about four to six months, they will leave the water and live underground [7] until they are ready to breed, which is typically in four to six years. [8] Red-bellied newts can live for 20-30 years. [9]
After reaching reproductive maturity, male red-bellied newts start congregating at stream banks as early as January or February. One to three weeks later, the females join them and the newts mate. [2] Red-bellied newts lay their eggs in fast-flowing streams or rocky rivers. The females lay their eggs in about 12 streamlined clusters with six to 16 eggs each, [10] and the eggs are typically attached to the bottoms of rocks, or on branches and roots leaning into the stream. [11] When the adults leave the stream, instead of moving directly uphill, they move at an angle that leads them somewhat upstream. [12] The females, unlike the males, do not breed every year. [13]
Red-bellied newts have a remarkable homing ability. They make great efforts to always go back to the same spot on the stream. They find their way over several miles of rugged terrain to get back to the spot. [14] Likely, smell is responsible for the homing ability. [15]
Red-bellied newts have a brownish-black topside to avoid being noticed. When that fails, and they are seen and disturbed, they pull their heads and tails back to reveal their bright-red undersides. [2] This serves as a warning to potential predators, as red-bellied newts have enough of a neurotoxin, tetrodotoxin, in their skin, eggs, and embryos to potentially kill an adult human, [16] or 1,200 to 2,500 mice. [17] Because red-bellied newts are so poisonous, they are nearly inedible and have no reported predators other than a few species of snake which are resistant to the toxin. [17] [18] Like other newts, red-bellied newts have the ability to regenerate several body parts, including their limbs, eyes, hearts, intestines, upper and lower jaws, and damaged spinal cords. [19]
Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arboreal or freshwater aquatic ecosystems. Thus amphibians typically start out as larvae living in water, but some species have developed behavioural adaptations to bypass this.
Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten extant salamander families are grouped together under the order Urodela from the group Caudata. Salamander diversity is highest in eastern North America, especially in the Appalachian Mountains; most species are found in the Holarctic realm, with some species present in the Neotropical realm.
Salamandridae is a family of salamanders consisting of true salamanders and newts. Salamandrids are distinguished from other salamanders by the lack of rib or costal grooves along the sides of their bodies and by their rough skin. Their skin is very granular because of the number of poison glands. They also lack nasolabial grooves. Most species of Salamandridae have moveable eyelids but lack lacrimal glands.
The ensatina is a species complex of plethodontid (lungless) salamanders found in coniferous forests, oak woodland and chaparral from British Columbia, through Washington, Oregon, across California, all the way down to Baja California in Mexico. The genus Ensatina originated approximately 21.5 million years ago. It is usually considered as monospecific, being represented by a single species, Ensatina eschscholtzii, with several subspecies forming a ring species.
Paramesotriton labiatus is a species of newt in the family Salamandridae. It is endemic to Guangxi, China. In literature prior to 2011, this species may have been confused with Paramesotriton chinensis, Pachytriton granulosus, or Paramesotriton ermizhaoi. This species has several vernacular names, including Unterstein's newt, spotless stout newt, spotless smooth warty newt, Zhao Ermi's smooth warty newt, and paddletail newt.
The genus Taricha consists of four species of highly toxic newts in the family Salamandridae. Their common name is Pacific newts, sometimes also western newts or roughskin newts. The four species within this genus are the California newt, the rough-skinned newt, the red-bellied newt, and the sierra newt, all of which are found on the Pacific coastal region from southern Alaska to southern California, with one species possibly ranging into northern Baja California, Mexico.
The rough-skinned newt or roughskin newt is a North American newt known for the strong toxin exuded from its skin.
The California newt or orange-bellied newt, is a species of newt endemic to California, in the Western United States. Its adult length can range from 5 to 8 in. Its skin produces the potent toxin tetrodotoxin.
The Pacific tree frog, also known as the Pacific chorus frog, has a range spanning the Pacific Northwest, from Northern California, Oregon, and Washington to British Columbia in Canada and extreme southern Alaska. They live from sea level to more than 10,000 feet in many types of habitats, reproducing in aquatic settings. They occur in shades of greens or browns and can change colors over periods of hours and weeks.
The foothill yellow-legged frog is a small-sized frog from the genus Rana in the family Ranidae. This species was historically found in the Coast Ranges from northern Oregon, through California, and into Baja California, Mexico as well as in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range in California. The foothill yellow-legged frog is a Federal Species of Concern and California State Endangered. A federal rule to list four out of six extant distinct population segments (DPS) under the Endangered Species Act was proposed in December 2021.
Necturus is a genus of aquatic salamanders in the family Proteidae. Species of the genus are native to the eastern United States and Canada. They are commonly known as waterdogs and mudpuppies. The common mudpuppy (N. maculosus) is probably the best-known species – as an amphibian with gill slits, it is often dissected in comparative anatomy classes. The common mudpuppy has the largest distribution of any fully aquatic salamander in North America.
The Sierra newt is a newt found west of the Sierra Nevada, from Shasta county to Tulare County, in California, Western North America.
The Idaho giant salamander is a species of salamander. There are three closely related species to this taxon: D. ensatus,, D. copei and D. tenebrosus also known as the.
Homing is the inherent ability of an animal to navigate towards an original location through unfamiliar areas. This location may be either a home territory, or a breeding spot.
A newt is a salamander in the subfamily Pleurodelinae. The terrestrial juvenile phase is called an eft. Unlike other members of the family Salamandridae, newts are semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Not all aquatic salamanders are considered newts, however. More than 100 known species of newts are found in North America, Europe, North Africa and Asia. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental life stages: aquatic larva, terrestrial juvenile (eft), and adult. Adult newts have lizard-like bodies and return to the water every year to breed, otherwise living in humid, cover-rich land habitats.
The Coastal Range newt is a subspecies of the California newt. It is endemic to California, from Mendocino County south to San Diego County.
There are 14 species of amphibians and 5 species of reptiles known to occur in Mount Rainier National Park.
The Santa Cruz black salamander is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to the U.S. state of California.
