The orange ones are poisonous? You don't say...

Saturday morning, and the garage door goes up. Immediately, my eyes go to something that's unnaturally bright against the charcoal grey of our blacktop. From a distance, it looks like a day-glow carrot, but immediately, I know it's not.

Long story short, it turns out that our driveway visitor is a red spotted newt, also known as a red eft. This is the middle developmental stage for this guy, inbetween aquatic tadpole life and aquatic adult form. They're not as smooth as the spotted salamanders we've seen, and don't have the leathery look of skinks. What's most striking though is the skin color of the juveniles: it's honestly the color of glowing coals in a fire.

And it's this orange coloring that helps them survive during the terrestrial phase of their lives before returning to the water as adults. It's a warning sign to would-be predators, giving them nature's signal that this meal might not be the best choice. When threatened or injured, the red eft secretes a toxin that will stimulate regurgitation in predators. But the toxin, similar to a blowfish's poison, can be washed off first by crafty raccoons, and fortunately for me, isn't toxic to humans (see the pictures to find out why I'm relieved to hear this). Kudos to Little Red who asked me "Daddy, is it poisonous?" when I brought inside to show him.

Another fun fact: Apparently, the Red Eft is equipped with magnetic orientation, helping it find its way back to the waters from which it came. According to Wikipedia, they likely have biogenic magnetite present in their skins which helps orient them to their surroundings.

Fun pictures of our BFTs (Big Fat Toads) as well, who have reappeared to feast on the nightly bug buffet.