A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California

Rough-skinned Newt - Taricha granulosa

(Skilton, 1849)

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Description • Taxonomy • Species Description • Scientific Name • Alt. Names • Similar Herps • References • Conservation Status

Red: Range in California

Click on the map for a topographical view

Map with California County Names

Identifying the 4 Species of
Pacific Newts - genus Taricha

Northwest Page

Adult, Butte County

Adult, Humboldt County

Breeding adult female, Butte County

Adult, Mendocino County

Breeding adult female, Butte County

Breeding adult male (on bottom) with breeding adult male Sierra Newt (on top) Both were found in the same pool of water in Butte County.

Breeding adult male, Butte County

Adult, Mendocino County

Breeding adult male, Butte County

Adult male, Butte County

Adult, Butte County

Adult, Tehama County © Jackson Shedd

Adult, Marin County © Andre Giraldi

Adult male in water, Sonoma County
© Lou Silva

Adult in aquatic phase, Del Norte County © Alan Barron

Adult in terrestrial phase, Del Norte County © Alan Barron

Adult, Sonoma County
© Lou Silva

High-contrast male, Marin County
© Adam Gitmed

Adults swimming in a pond in Summer where they live all year,
Thurston County, Washington

Adult, Napa County © Teejay O'Rear

Very dark aquatic phase adult, photographed in a lake at about 7,000 ft. elevation (2133 m) in Siskiyou County in July. © Rowan Moore Gerety

Adult, Santa Cruz County
© Zeev Nitzan Ginsburg

Rough-skinned Newt Skeleton
National Museum of Natural History

© Regan Sikola
Top: Rough-skinned Newt
Bottom: California Newt

This is a good illustration of how the eyes don't extend past the margin
of the head on T. granulosa
but they do on T. torosa.

When seen from above, the eyes of
a Rough-skinned Newt, T. granulosa, do not extend to or beyond the margin of the head.

Compare with T. torosa, the California Newt, on the right and with other newts found in California here:
Newt Identification.

Adult Defensive Posture

Adult, defensive posture,
Del Norte County

Adult, Lewis County, Washington
This newt is in a defensive posture called "unkenreflex"in which it displays its brightly-colored underside as a warning. The Rough-skinned newt curls it's colorful tail. Compare with the straight tail of the sometimes sympatric California Newt and the sometimes sympatric Sierra Newt.

Adult in defensive posture, Douglas County Oregon.
(Note that this newt is not curling its tail over the back, which is the typical behavior for this species.)

Breeding adult male in defensive
posture, Butte County

Juveniles

Juvenile, Del Norte County

Juvenile, Santa Clara County

Recently metamorphed juvenile

This incredible collection of hundreds or perhaps thousands of juvenile newts was found in Napa County in late September under a boat near a lake that had a small amount of water remaining in it during a year of severe drought. No newts were found at the same location four days previously. Two species of newts are found at the location, California Newts, and Rough-skinned Newts. Some of them appear to be California Newts, but it's not possible to know the species of all of them.
© Anonymous

Unusual Color Variations

This apparently leucistic juvenile Rough-skinned Newt was found in Santa Cruz County © Bebe Maag

Adult with an unusually pale venter that could be due to an autoimmune issue. Humboldt County © Spencer Riffle

This unusual Rough-skinned Newt with a light ground color and dark blotches, was found near the coast in Tillamook County, Oregon in an area with many other typically-colored newts. Populations of unusually-colored or blotched newts have been found in several places on the West Coast which I have listed below in the description of this species. This newt might be part of a similar population or it might be just a single individual with a pigment aberration.
© Matt D'Agrosa and Yvonne Stotler

This is a short video of the newt described to the left.
© Matt D'Agrosa and Yvonne Stotler

This unusually-colored Rough-skinned Newt, photographed in a shallow creek on the northern Sonoma County coast, has gray skin, black bumps on its back (its "rough skin"), and there is a little bit of the natural color remaining on some of its toes and behind at least one of its legs. (What looks like a split in the tail, is probably the top of the dorsal fin seen from directly above.) © Dorothy Yerxa

Feeding and Predation

Several breeding adult newts in a breeding pond eating amphibian eggs, possibly Northwestern Salamander eggs.
Many Northern Red-legged Frog eggs were also seen at the location.

Santa Cruz Gartersnake eating a
young newt © Odophile.com

The eight pictures above show several Rough-skinned Newts eating earthworms on a road at night in Marion County, Oregon. They were among more than a thousand adult female newts that had migrated out onto the road on two rainy nights in late January & early February to take advantage of the worms which had crawled onto the road. The females were feeding before heading to the breeding pond, which was already full of males awaiting their arrival. © Chris Rombough

This adult newt (shown in water) is being attacked by a predatory diving beetle. © Lou Silva

This short video shows several Rough-skinned newts in Pacific County, Washington, interact with an underwater egg mass that could be from A. gracile - Northwestern Salamander, or possibly a Long-toed Salamander. Some of the newts appear to be trying to bite the eggs as if to eat them, while others seem to just thrash around without taking any bites.

This short video shows several Rough-skinned newts in a Tillamook Co., Oregon coastal lake, 3.5 feet offshore and in 12" deep water feeding on largemouth bass eggs, most less than
1 mm in diameter. Male largemouth bass construct a nest where the female lays her eggs. It is often a circular depression in the substrate or a patch of submerged vegetation. In this case the nest is the patch of moss in which we see the newts, and the eggs are sticking to the strands. © Chris Rombough

Mating Activity, Eggs and Larvae

Breeding adult male (top) and breeding adult female (bottom), Butte County

Male and female in amplexus in water, Pacific County, Washington

Mating ball, Southwest Oregon,
© Steven Krause

Egg on submerged blade of grass, Thurston County, Washington.
© 2004 William Leonard

Larva (in water) Sonoma County
© Lou Silva

Gilled juvenile found on land and photographed in water.

Larvae (in water)

Larvae (in water)

Larva (in air) Santa Cruz County
© Aidan O'Brien

During the breeding season, adult males develop nuptial pads on the toes to improve their ability to hold onto females during amplexus. Compare with the toes of a breeding female without these pads.

Metamorphs, found on land at the edge of a pond, and photographed in water. Notice the trace of gills remaining

Rough-skinned Newt Habitat in California

Habitat, Mendocino County

Habitat, San Mateo County

Habitat, near sea level, Del Norte County

Habitat, San Mateo County

Habitat, Siskiyou County

Habitat, 5,700 ft. Siskiyou County

Habitat, Humboldt County

Breeding pool in coniferous forest,
Butte County

Short Videos

Rough-skinned newts move around the rocky shallow margins of a river in Douglas County, Oregon, occasionally coming up for air.

A few light taps on the back of a Rough-skinned Newt causes it to take a passive defensive posture, raising its tail and head to display the bright orange color of its underside which signifies danger. This "unken reflex" shows a would-be predator that the newt is deadly poisonous, while at the same time, the newt releases deadly toxins from its skin.

Pairs of Rough-skinned newts in amplexus in a breeding pond.

A male and a female Rough-skinned newt in their underwater amplexus ballet.

Male newts in the breeding pond wrestling over and waiting for females.

Solo male newts and males and females in amplexus swim underwater in a breeding pond in Pacific County, Washington in mid February.

Description

Size

Adults are 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 inches long (6.4 - 8.9 cm) from snout to vent, and 3 1/2 - 7 7/8 inches (8.9 - 20 cm) in total length.

Appearance

A stocky, medium-sized lunged salamander with dry granular skin, and no costal grooves.

Color and Pattern

Black, brown, reddish-brown, or light brown above, yellow or orange below.
Lower eyelids are dark.
Irises are yellowish.

Stebbins, 2003, describes some different color variations:
- at Gravina Island, Alaska, individuals have dark blotches on ventral surfaces;
- at Crater Lake, OR, and vicinity some are nearly all black underneath;
- some newts in the Siskiyou Mountains of California have dark blotches on both the dorsal and ventral surfaces;
- some newts at Fay Lake, Linn County OR and 13 Lakes, Del Norte County, California, have dorsal blotches.

Male / Female Differences

Breeding males develop smooth lighter-colred skin that looks wrinkled and baggy underwater, a flattened tail to aid with swimming, a swollen vent, and rough nuptial pads on the undersides of the feet to aid in holding onto females during amplexus.

Larvae

Larva are pond type, brown with a row of light spots on the sides of the body

Comparison With Similar Species of Newts

Identifying Species of Pacific Newts - Genus Taricha

Life History and Behavior

Rough-skinned when in the terrestrial phase.
Breathes through lungs.

Activity

The natural history of T. granulosa varies widely over its range.
Generally terrestrial, often seen crawling over land in the daytime, becoming aquatic when breeding.
Some populations hide in daylight becoming active at night.
Some populations are primarily aquatic, living up to 10 months in permanent ponds and in streams.
In terrestrial populations, rainfall in fall triggers emergence and a period of wandering to forage.

Rough-skinned Newts are often seen moving to breeding sites during the breeding season.
Migration may involve the use of celestial cues for navigation. Migration to and from breeding sites varies among populations. Some newts spend the dry summer in moist habitats under woody debris, rocks, or animal burrows with adults emerging after the fall rains.
In some populations, adults remain in the ponds and lakes throughout the summer and migrate back onto land in the fall when the rain starts. Often they will form large aggregates of thousands of newts in the water.
In other populations, males remain in the ponds all year.
Adults have been found in some California streams all year long except during winter flooding.

Longevity

Longevity is estimated to be 12 years. (Amphibiaweb)

Defense

When threatened, this newt assumes a swaybacked defensive pose, closing its eyes, extending its limbs to the sides, and holding its tail curled up over the body. This "unken reflex" exposes its bright orange ventral surface coloring which is a warning to potential predators that the newt is poisonous.

Toxic Secretions

Rough-skinned Newts have poisonous skin secretions containing the powerful neurotoxin tetrodotoxin that repel most predators. The poison is widespread throughout the skin, muscles, and blood, and even the eggs. It can cause death in many animals, including humans, if eaten in sufficient quantity. (One study estimated that 25,000 mice could be killed from the skin of one Rough-skinned newt, the most toxic of the Taricha species.) Larvae, however, are not poisonous.
The poison can also be ingested through a mucous membrane or a cut in the skin, so care should always be taken when handling newts.

Newt Predators

In most locations the Common Gartersnake, Thamnophis sirtalis, has a high resistance to tetrodotoxin which allows it to prey on Rough-skinned Newts.
Thamnophis atratus and Thamnophis couchii have also been found with a strong resistance to tetrodotoxin that allows them to eat newts of the genus Taricha.
Thamnophis elegans has also been found eating Taricha torosa in San Luis Obispo County.
(Feldman, Hansen, & Sikola. Herpetological Review 51[3] 2020.)

An arms race between T. sirtalis and the tetrodoxin poison contained in Taricha has been documented, with newt toxicity varying by location and snake resistance to the toxin also varying by location.
(Edmund D. Brodie III. Patterns, Process, and the Parable of the Coffeepot Incident: Arms Races Between Newts and Snakes from Landscapes to Molecules. From In the Light of Evolution: Essays from the Laboratory and Field edited by Jonathan Losos (Roberts and Company Publishers). 2010.)

According to Petranka,1998, a study on Vancouver Island showed that while T. sirtalis showed no ill effects after consuming T. granulosa, T. elegans and
T. ordinoides suffered loss of motor funtion when after consuming the newts.

The Bay Area is the Center of an Evolutionary Race Between Hungry Snakes and Toxic Newts.
by Anton Sorokin. Bay Nature, April 6, 2022

Otters have been observed preying on Rough-skinned Newts in Oregon (Stokes, Northwestern Naturalist 96(1), 2015).

Diet and Feeding

Diet consists mostly of a variety of invertebrates but also includes salamander and frog eggs and larvae, and even tiny fish.
Newt larvae feed on protozoans, scraping them off plants and rocks. As they grow larger, they feed on small aquatic invertebrates.

Adults feed mostly at night, slowly stalking prey, then quickly snapping at it, sucking it into the mouth when feeding underwater. Prey is found by sight and smell.

Reproduction

Reproduction is aquatic.
Adults breed along the vegetated edges of slow streams, lakes, ponds, and reservoirs typically begining in December, but the timing varies with location.
At low elevation sites along the coast, breeding occurs mostly in March and April, but can take place any time from late December to June.
At higher elevations, breeding can occur in summer and fall.

Adults are thought to be reproductively mature when they are 4 to 5 years old.
Adults in most populations are thought to breed every other year.
Except in areas where adults remain in the water year-round, males and females migrate to the breeding site where the males transform into their aquatic phase, with smooth skin that lightens in color, swollen cloacal lips, and tails enlarged and flattened to help them swim.
Females develop smoother skin, but do not undergo as much change as males.
Males arrive first and wait for females to arrive.

When a female enters the water, males rush to grab her, often all grabbing her at the same time until one male is the victor. A male grabs onto the back of a female and holds on tightly, using specialized nuptial pads on his toes that develop during the breeding season to help his grip. Males continue this amplexus, swimming back and forth in the water, until the female is ready to fertilize her eggs.
At that time, the male deposits a spermatophore and the female picks it up with her cloaca.

Eggs

After fertilizing her eggs by picking up a male spermatophore in her cloaca, females lay and attach eggs singly onto the stems and leaves of submerged plants, typically within a few inches of the surface of the water.
Eggs contain the same chemical toxin that is present in the newts.
Eggs hatch in 20 - 26 days, depending on the water temperature.

Larvae

Larvae transform in some locations after 4 - 5 months.
In others, they overwinter and transform the following summer.
Recently-transformed juveniles can be found under rocks and wood along the edge of a breeding pond.
After metamorphosis, juveniles move onto land, sometimes far from the water, moving into underground retreats and emerging on wet nights to feed on the surface.

Habitat

Uses a variety of terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Found in grasslands, woodlands, and coniferous forest, often near their aquatic breeding habitat. Aquatic habitats include temporary and permanent ponds, lakes, slow edges of streams and creeks.

Geographical Range

T. granulosa has the largest distribution of the three species of Taricha, ranging from Alaska south along the coast through British Colombia and Washington and Oregon, mostly west of the Cascades Mountains, and south to the Monterey Bay.
Also introduced into a small area in Idaho near Moscow and in Saunders County, Montana. (Stebbins, 2003)

Distribution in California

Found from Santa Cruz County north along the coast through the north coast ranges, around the northern edge of the great valley and along the foothills of the west slope of the Sierra Nevada as far south as near Magalia in Butte County.

Coexists with T. rivularis but unlike that species, this newt breeds in still, not flowing, water. Sometimes hybridizes with T. rivularis.

Elevational Range

Found at elevations from sea level to about 9,200 ft. (2,800 m). (Stebbins, 2003)

Notes on Taxonomy

Two subspecies of Taricha granulosa are sometimes recognized:

T. g. granulosa
T. g. mazamae - (Mazama Newt or Crater Lake Newt - found at Crater Lake, Oregon)

Alternate and Previous Names (Synonyms)

Taricha granulosa - Rough-skinned Newt (Stebbins 1985, 2003, 2012)
Taricha granulosa granulosa - Northern Rough-skinned Newt (Stebbins 1966)
Taricha granulosa granulosa - ssp. of Rough-skinned Newt (Stebbins 1954)
Triturus granulosus twittyi - Twitty's Newt (Bishop 1943) (Marin County south to Monterey Bay populations)
Triturus granulosus granulosus - Oregon Newt (Bishop 1943)
Triturus torosus - Pacific Coast Newt (Brown Water Dog) (Storer 1925)
Taricha laevis (Baird & Girard 1853)
Notophthalmus torosus (Baird 1850)
Salamandra Beecheyi (Gray 1839)
Triturus torosus - (Rathke 1833)

Conservation Issues (Conservation Status)

Timber harvesting, especially clearcutting, is known to impact newt habitat.
Some studies have concluded that UV-B exposure may have a negative effect on rough-skinned newts.

Taxonomy
Family	Salamandridae	Newts	Goldfuss, 1820
Genus	Taricha	Pacific Newts	Gray, 1850
Species	granulosa	Rough-skinned Newt	(Skilton, 1849)
Original Description
Skilton, 1849 - Amer. Journ. Sci. Arts., Ser. 2, Vol. 7, p. 202, pl. 1 from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
Meaning of the Scientific Name
Taricha: Greek - preserved mummy, possibly referring to the rough skinned appearance. granulosa: Latin - full of small grains, referring to the rough skin of terrestrial adults. from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
Alternate Names
Taricha granulosa - Rough-skinned Newt Taricha granulosa granulosa - Northern Roughskin Newt
Related California Salamanders
Taricha torosa torosa - Coast Range Newt Taricha torosa sierrae - Sierra Newt Taricha rivularis - Red-bellied Newt
More Information and References
California Department of Fish and Wildlife AmphibiaWeb Stebbins, Robert C., and McGinnis, Samuel M. Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California: Revised Edition (California Natural History Guides) University of California Press, 2012. Stebbins, Robert C. California Amphibians and Reptiles. The University of California Press, 1972. Flaxington, William C. Amphibians and Reptiles of California: Field Observations, Distribution, and Natural History. Fieldnotes Press, Anaheim, California, 2021. Samuel M. McGinnis and Robert C. Stebbins. Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles & Amphibians. 4th Edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2018. Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003. Behler, John L., and F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. Powell, Robert., Joseph T. Collins, and Errol D. Hooper Jr. A Key to Amphibians and Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. The University Press of Kansas, 1998. Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Amphibians of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009. Bishop, Sherman C. Handbook of Salamanders. Cornell University Press, 1943. Lannoo, Michael (Editor). Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. University of California Press, June 2005. Petranka, James W. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution, 1998. Corkran, Charlotte & Chris Thoms. Amphibians of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing, 1996. Jones, Lawrence L. C. , William P. Leonard, Deanna H. Olson, editors. Amphibians of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle Audubon Society, 2005. Leonard et. al. Amphibians of Washington and Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society, 1993. Nussbaum, R. A., E. D. Brodie Jr., and R. M. Storm. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. Moscow, Idaho: University Press of Idaho, 1983.

Conservation Status
The following conservation status listings for this animal are taken from the January 2024 State of California Special Animals List and the January 2024 Federally Listed Endangered and Threatened Animals of California list (unless indicated otherwise below.) Both lists are produced by multiple agencies every year, and sometimes more than once per year, so the conservation status listing information found below might not be from the most recent lists. To make sure you are seeing the most recent listings, go to this California Department of Fish and Wildlife web page where you can search for and download both lists: https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/CNDDB/Plants-and-Animals. A detailed explanation of the meaning of the status listing symbols can be found at the beginning of the two lists. For quick reference, I have included them on my Special Status Information page. If no status is listed here, the animal is not included on either list. This most likely indicates that there are no serious conservation concerns for the animal. To find out more about an animal's status you can also go to the NatureServe and IUCN websites to check their rankings. This salamander is not included on the Special Animals List, which indicates that there are no significant conservation concerns for it in California.
Organization	Status Listing	Notes
NatureServe Global Ranking	Not Known
NatureServe State Ranking	Not Known
U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA)	None
California Endangered Species Act (CESA)	None
California Department of Fish and Wildlife	None
Bureau of Land Management	None
USDA Forest Service	None
IUCN	Not Known

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