Discover

Today
Animals
Explore
Archive
Search

Use it

Classroom
Resources
Field lab
Quiz
Saved

Trust

Methodology
Sources
Corrections
Accessibility
Contributors

Details

About
Contact
Privacy
Terms
Newsletter

Animal profile

Rough-skinned Newt

Taricha granulosa

AmphibiaCool coastal forest, ponds and slow streamsLeast Concern

Field profile

The rough-skinned newt is a brown newt with a vivid orange underside, about 12 to 20 centimetres long, common in damp forests of the Pacific Northwest. When threatened it arches into a rigid posture that displays its belly colour. Its skin carries one of the most potent toxins known from any animal.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2025-12-24

Rough-skinned Newt

A poison arms race with garter snakes

Rough-skinned newts carry tetrodotoxin, the same toxin found in pufferfish. Common garter snakes in the same forests have evolved resistance, and where resistant snakes are most common, the newts are most toxic.

Read with evidence →

Rough-skinned Newt | Daily Animal Facts