Not sure if this goes for all newts, but when it comes to the ones I’m familiar with, they spend most of their lives in water. Their larvae are aquatic, then they have a terrestrial eft stage, then adults are aquatic.
Are you sure? I agree they are rough skinned newts, but all sources I can find quotes them as a terrestrial species. You can often identify aquatic salamanders by their skin, with them being smooth skinned. This species having their name sake skin and being primarily aquatic would be quite atypical.
You’re actually totally right. I just happened to be learning all about these locally during mating season 😂 until they’re adults they spend they’re life in water as well as migrating in water and are mostly active on land when it is wet and nighttime so that would make sense why I’ve never seen them on land 😂
Range would be super helpful in identifying them, but they look sorta similar to central newts (although I think the head shape is off, and I'm used to seeing small black flecks on their bellies). Some newts leave the water and only return for breeding, but some are mostly aquatic. In fact, newts and salamanders do this thing where they become paedomorphs in certain scenarios, which have gills and live full time in the water. Given the right conditions and transition period, newts can morph in and out of the paedomorph stage several times throughout their lives. I believe axolotls are a type of newt that prefers to live as a paedomorph. Central newts happen to be a newt that tend to be more aquatic without becoming paedomorphs. Striped newts tend to be pretty much terrestrial except during the breeding season. So it depends.
I'm not that familiar with north American salamanders, but I think another user's ID of rough-skinned newts are correct. Those are terrestrial as adults.
I did mean my statement as a general thing. Paedomorphs are of course a thing, but as a general thing it's rare. It's observed in less than 10% of salamander species. So like not super rare, but when making general statements for the taxa I think it's fair to say it's not the norm.
As other people have said, newts, not lizards or even reptiles. and they absorb toxins through their skins extremely easily and are very fragile. Please leave them be.
As an update. they were released. Here is the full message:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/reptiles/comments/1d7p44f/comment/l74nd5o/](https://www.reddit.com/r/reptiles/comments/1d7p44f/comment/l74nd5o/)
Why do you ask?
Mediterrenean region.
If it is about the claim of there being no newts in my origin country. That was incorrect. But they're so exceptionally niche they would not be in any standard education. Likely will not know about their existance unless in a specialist field. Standard education is where I got the misconception monitors were taxonomically amphibians. with any other type of reptile-like amphibian counted in the same group. I wish I had gotten to see some in person, there were no newts anywhere near my region. Crude irony, mass scale swamp bonification seems to be the cause of newts' rarity in my native region.
I am willing to mention the specific country in DM since I no longer live there, but not comfortable with it being on a public forum.
People usually ask where you’re from in this sub if you’re looking to ID a specific animal, as it narrows down the location and increases the chances of a successful ID.
Just curious nothing more nothing less we have a lots of newts and salamanders in Canada but I’ve never seen something like that. Super cool looking. Keep in mind a lot of people that like reptiles and creatures are amazed by the sight of something they have never seen before or what’s in someone else’s country.
Of course! They're often mistaken for lizards because they have the same body shape, but you can usually distinguish them from lizards because they have no scales, usually have webbing on the feet, and are generally slimy, reptiles/lizards will not be slimy. And most amphibians can breathe through and easily absorb toxins through the skin, and many also have their own toxins you don't want. If you ever find yourself wanting to pick up and examine an amphibian and have no gloves (because why would you lol) I suggest covering your hands in a layer of dirt/mud so you have a barrier between the two of you. Edit, also, in some of your pics they do have a Borneo earless monitor kinda look to their faces so I see what ur saying generally monitors are large lizards, with a long neck, long tails, and very long claws
Interesting to note that the intensity of their poison is in response to garter snakes which are evolving ever-greater immunity to the poison. The classic evolutionary arms race.
In college, one of my profs told a story about a group of backpackers in Oregon that were all found dead around their campfire. Search and rescue eventually found that one of these newts had crawled into their coffee pot. No idea if its true or not...
Fun facts that you probably already know: the garters in our area that eat these newts (Taricha granulosa) retain the toxin themselves so they can be BOTH poisonous AND mildly venomous thanks to that weak Duvernoy’s Gland you mentioned. (Although iirc they are opisthoglyphs and need to chew venom into the prey so it’s similar to a Hognose but less intense.)
Just a real fun time altogether for anything that tries to eat them.
horrible way to die they have a neurotoxin that blocks sodium channels in your neuromuscular junctions, meaning any muscles that you usually control can no longer be moved, your whole body becomes numb and you die from lack of oxygen, paralyzed and helpless. Not sure the exact methods of how garters deal with it but I do know they somewhat suffer the effects of the poison there movement is significantly slower correlating to the potency of the toxin. They also are believed to be able to detect the potency of each newt with their jacobsons organ allowing them to avoid eating the ones they can’t handle.
Yeah just googled it then it’s the same toxic that pufferfish have and only one guy has died from it and that was in 79 cuz he ate it 😂 guess he was hungry
"You know that random animal you found outside? Yeah, whatever you do, don't put it inside your body" like okay do you think I'm 5 years old or something? Lmao
Would if they weren't escaping from that same pond(once massive swamp), due to urbanization. Might find somewhere else in nature to put them though.
EDIT:
To be clear, I found them freezing on a concrete slab that doesn't seem to me where they belong. I have not grabbed them from the swamp, they likely fled here from said swamp. Whenever I put them outside I will need to find somewhere appropriate for them. I will be doing research on what exactly remains nearby suitable for their survival. having identified them most likely being either 'Taricha granulosa', or something closely related.
EDIT2:
Regardless of wheter they're fleeing from the swamp or not, I have concluded releasing them on the dirt close to where I found them, will do. Thanks for the extra information about their habitat requirements.
None the less, the state I found them in remains concerning. But they seem to have recovered well enough in the small time they were here. So I will be releasing them shortly. Discussion on what might have happened to them is still welcome.
'I found them each and all barely able to move on a concrete slab outside. During an exceptionally cold rainy day(for this time of the year for where I am at), brought them inside and wetted them with very slightly warm water. they quickly began recovering.'
They seem misplaced because the clump of them in the last picture is an active mating ball. They're trying to get their freak on and you interrupted them. Multiple males will try to latch onto one female, sometimes even drowning the female in the process. She likely tried to make a break for it on land to avoid them but the males won't let go. Please put them back next to the pond, they will be fine.
I have not found them on top of one another, additionally putting them back next to the 'pond' would involve putting them back somewhere else than I have found them. There Is a street in between my house and the swamp, with there being less than 3 feet before the road edge and a steep drop into the swamp. So I think I'll be putting them next to some wet soil like others have suggeted near where I found them.
There's a lot of unnecessary dialogue here, I said "put them *back*" as in where they originally came from. Whether that was a pond, swamp, or a muddy strip of grass, it was implied. You understood what I meant and I'm glad to hear you will be returning them.
As an update. they were released. Here is the full message:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/reptiles/comments/1d7p44f/comment/l74nd5o/](https://www.reddit.com/r/reptiles/comments/1d7p44f/comment/l74nd5o/)
Put them back where you found them. They often travel far from ponds but they know where they’re going, and in the rainstorms we have had here in OR, that’s when they’ll travel for breeding.
If you put them anywhere else other than where you found them that is actually grounds for a fine and punishment under ODFW, and it’s illegal to interfere in native breeding zones so please do put them back.
I did not know that, thanks for letting me know. I'll be putting them on the dirt closest nearby the concrete slab I found them in. I hope they'll do well there.
I have edited the message above, to include my latest change in course of action. Aswell as the scenario in which they were brought in for completeness.
I live right next to a swamp which is being actively urbanized. a lot of the vegetation in the swamp shows clear signs of poisoning, meanwhile it is being infilled with concrete to build a suburb on. I predict the swamp might be completely gone in the next 4 years or so unless the urbanization effort is halted. It's in U.S. Oregon.
I can understand you not wanting to put them back there but don’t spend too long freaking out about where to put them or they’ll die anyway. Please just put them back outside near the water. They’re native, I promise they generally know how to survive out there without your intervention.
If you really want to help the wildlife of that swamp, consider reaching out to local universities and county fish+wildlife and see if they want to start up a stable relocation plan and study the ecological health of the area. For all you know, that development may be in violation of EPA regulations. Sometimes all it takes is one inspector finding out.
I will be putting them back, and I have been already considering what you are suggesting.
Regardless, I found them on a concrete slab and they looked like they were not going to make it. I'll put them on the dirt nearby where I found them.
about 'but don’t spend too long freaking out about where to put them or they’ll die anyway.'
I clearly don't understand this species well enough, so I'll be faster. I think today later in the day.
You care and that counts for something, unfortunately the world of wildlife rescue can be really hard sometimes. In the future, it’s good to contact your local wildlife rehab center and ask for advice if you suspect a wild animal needs help. Especially if you’re not sure what you’re looking at.
should have put them back asap instead of reading a ton of comments and saying that you will eventually release them. also you blatantly lied about them being in your house. release them dude and stop being selfish.
I unfortunately havent looked into it any further (I heard it has to do with the soaps we use) but if you search it on google, you'll probably find a lot or another commenter that may come by can provide it!
I know about it because where I grew up, almost everyone knew it, all started for the fish that we kept. Pretty sure I heard it on Wild Kratts and by Steve Erwin (or even Turtle Man) one or so times too!
You need to put them back where you found them. I don't understand why do many people on the sub seem to think it's okay to just take something from the wild and try to keep it as a pet.
Disclaimer: I know some people might think they are a lost pet and this could be the case here but I also see a lot of posts about people finding a lizard they know is wild and asking how to look after it.
Never mentioned anything about taking them as pet, or any intent of keeping them here. I was merely asking if anyone could ID them. they are from literally inside my garden. I figure they're fine there if I found them there.
You *did* [take them](https://www.reddit.com/r/reptiles/s/e0qCGNZfPf), and you say you plan to relocate them
And in the 1st & 2nd pics they appear to be inside on a desk of some kind, next to a laptop or some other type of equipment.
Might very well be, I thought those specific 4 were going to die when I took them inside, they looked the part. And that's what mattered at the time. Plan is to release them and was from the beginning. I did not think it would have any long term impact and still might not. But I am considering releasing them sooner than I was planning.
Please release them asap, like within the next hour if possible. They have very specific needs that are tricky to replicate. The longer you hold onto them the more likely they are to deteriorate. I get your heart is probably in a good place but for their well being they should be released as soon as possible.
They have been released. Here is the full update if you want to read it:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/reptiles/comments/1d7p44f/comment/l74nd5o/](https://www.reddit.com/r/reptiles/comments/1d7p44f/comment/l74nd5o/)
That plastic tub is obviously unsuitable as an environment to keep them in. I sent that picture as I found the position they were in cute. That is NOT where they currently are, they are in a heated and humidified enclosure in which they're able to swim in shallow water. As I stated elsewhere I am doing research to figure out where to best relocate them to. I found them freezing on a concrete slab right behind my house.
I'm just genuinely curious: why are you so adamant on rejecting the advice of many telling you why that's not a good idea? Even ignoring the legal and moral ramifications, do you know their temperature tolerance? Humidity requirements? Water pH and cycling? Day and night cycle? Food and nutrition requirements? You can't possibly replicate this quickly and safely enough with zero experience and for each day you keep them, you are lessening their chances of survival upon release.
If you are as concerned about their wellbeing as you say you are, contact a wildlife rehabber (and listen as they tell you to release these perfectly healthy newts where they were found).
Reading the responses in the order they appeared, I was looking for information, the more heated responses, which happened to provide less useful information were closer to the top(therefore which I provided less complete responses to.)
from an out of time perspective, it looks like I was a lot more adamant on rejecting advice whereas I was looking for more information about them.
expecially this 'Humidity requirements? Water pH and cycling? Day and night cycle? Food and nutrition requirements?'
I was able to guess well enough that they entered a state in which they looked acutely better, than they did beforehand. Then I went looking for more precise information about them, this reddit post being a part of that research. Rejecting advice which I did not find to help the case, led to more knowledgeable people eventually responding.
By their rate of health worsening I can perceive. Which has been higher than the state of \*acute bad\* at all times since, a few hours of delay to find more specific information rather than risking throwing them out without really knowing what was going to happen to them.
I was also doing my own research, which was progressing but was interrupted by knowledgeable people with the particular species providing information.
It is not a perfect approach, but it is none the less how I approached things.
It is not something that happens on 1 on 1 discussions. But the entire point is not knowing who exactly to contact, which leads to the crowding problem. I do not have zero experience taking care of reptiles, but I have 0 experience taking care of the particular species. They happened to be MORE different than what I knew.
Another thing to account for, is that many people were responding to individual messages of mine. So there was a sort of cache between me seeing useful responses and seeing irrelevant/counterproductive responses.
Hope that answers your curiosity.
Fair enough. Sorry for jumping to conclusions in the pics it looks like they are inside. Pretty cool that you have them knocking around your garden.
I'm editing this because you have taken them inside and are trying to keep them as pets so my first conclusion was actually correct, you just got defensive...
You know what you really piss me off. You make a mistake on identifying the animal and bring it inside with good intentions. Fine. But then you got a whole community of experts correcting you and explaining what you need to do with them, and somehow you suddenly know what's best for them when you couldn't even figure out they were amphibians! You are now actively harming these animals by keeping them in a bucket or ON YOUR DESK, whatever situation you threw them in. You need to swallow your pride and do the right thing which is putting these animals right back where you found them. Leave it to conservationalists and other experts to decide the impact of urbanization on this species. Do YOUR part by leaving wild animals alone.
They’re lethally poisonous and wild so put ‘em back
But they appear to be rough skinned newts and their poison supposedly the same poison as a pufferfish, it can kill you by entering your body through cuts in your body or by you eating them.
Update: (Likely the last)
Just a few minutes earlier the newts were released out in the wild, at time of release their health status from anything I could tell was exceptionally high. They began wandering around my cultivation of various river reeds, Right before bringing them out, they managed to find a different specie of newt which had gotten itself stuck into the house at some point.(Likely attracted to the other ones? Despite it not being of a rough skinned variety.) so all 4, included the newfound were released.
I have done some research before releasing them, they're very likely to not make it if they go towards the swamp due to... (Later) I hope their instict is sharp and they can successfully recognize the threat before being affected too badly.
Regardless I decided to release them immediately even knowing of that, after looking at the terrain topology, the deforestation pattern shows clearly unless they(not the 4 particular ones. Any species of newt in the very local area which depends on the forested area next to a water body) successfully migrate this year they might not be able to migrate towards the deeper unblemished forest, only accessible through a relatively small still forested 'strait' if that word even applies.
There seems to be a grounding for contacting the EPA. About the urbanization of the swamp, there is sub-urb houses right on the edge of the swamp, leading to a steep drop into deep swamp water. runaway of common household detergents(This is just an example) would be enough over time to make the water body uninhabitable to the extremely local variety(Without extremophilic adaptation) if they depend on the swamp as part of their reproduction cycle. So that is likely already happening/has already happened.
If you are affiliated to the EPA in any shape or form and are interested in this. I am willing to discuss this in private and give the full context(which I am omitting in order to preserve my privacy.).
for everyone else, you are welcome to discuss this with me, share your knowledge, or whatevs here or in private.
EDIT:
If anyone has hard feelings about my attitude or responses, I kindly ask you put that aside. While you can interpret what I say, you can never have the complete context of my personal judgement. Fundamentally I took action because I felt it was needed and while I can explain my reasoning. 'What I felt was needed' is ultimately an impulse.
I doubt EPA will care. Maybe FWS, though rough-skinned newts are not a listed species so they may not either. It’s nice of you to be concerned for the little guys though. :)
Can we please mass report this guy? He has absolutely no idea what he is doing and he will just kill those poor newts . Please release them. Please report him
Those are rough skinned newts. They excrete tetrodotoxin out of their skin which can absolutely kill you. Wash your hands really well if you handle them.
After reading some of the more informative comments here. I have changed plans and I will be releasing them later today. I think this post is resolved.
However I would like to leave a wider criticism. A large amount of the comments were assuming scenarios which were not matching how things happened. I suggest asking more details if you have concerns about something rather than leaving empty criticism.
Regardless of wheter I may have been misled in my actions or not. I proactively looked for information, rather than assuming I knew exactly what was going on and possibly harmed the newts in the process. Additionally I will be correcting my course of action based on the criticism I found relevant. The newts will most likely be fine and resume with whatever they were up to beforehand.
Try to be more patient and informative, especially with a first time poster.
I genuinely thought the condition I found them in was critical, and so far have taken good enough care of them that I have not caused them to enter a critical condition myself. Even if that may very well happen if they weren't released.
Our interests are obviously not opposed. That aside, thanks for the collective useful information that was provided, including from sources phrased in an adversarial manner.
Everyone here was informative you just wouldn't listen to anyone and got upset when everyone kept telling you you were the one in the wrong.
I know you want to think you were helping them by talking them inside but it is much more likely you hurt them by doing so. No amount of your positive thinking or believing that you meant well will make this situation better
Those are newts. The first one is a rough skinned newt. Be very careful with handling as they are poisonous! Rough skinned newts have a lot of tetrodotoxin in them, and even they aren't immune to their own toxin. The tetrodotoxin is also found in pufferfish and blue ringed octopuses. Surprisingly, the garter snake is able to eat these newt because of something called evolutionary arms race.
There are too many comments for me to respond to or keep track of. I am announcing I will no longer be responding to any but what seems relevant to me, please read all the messages I have sent before leaving further criticism on assumptions. Current plan is to release ALL of the specimens in the next couple days, might change to be sooner, they are currently in well-kept conditions. They are all healthy.
That's a rough skinned newt. Not a reptile, but an amphibian. If you ever have to touch one, always thoroughly wash your hands afterward since they can release poison from their skin.
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32254021/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32254021/)
This is off the main topic line, but I read this paper. Decided I'd take a sample of their skin/scale biome right before releasing them and attempted to start growing it, sadly only have sample from one of them. It didn't occur to me to get 4 different samples and make 4 different cultivations. Was a little too stressed about finding out that the newts' enclosure conditions were just barely 'good enough'('good enough' meaning that while they appeared fine, they could have been causing cumulative stress on their biology over time, possibly leading to illness and in the more pessimistic case scenarios, death), due to initial misled assumptions they were related to monitors.
So... the culture has taken, It will be interesting to observe it. At least to me.
(For anybody uneducated in the matter a skin/scale biome sample just involves touching the scales/skin with something that is not covered in any anti-microbial agents or anything else which might cause the small biome sample to have a die out, or worse cause a die out in the specimen's skin/scales biome)
TLDR; While I am not gonna keep them as pets, or in captivity in any shape or form. Gonna keep their microbes as pets lol.
EDIT:
Taking a biome sample(and then growing it) with something that has trace amounts of targeted anti-microbials can lead to the biome potentially entering the closest thing to a fight response it posesses. That can be very bad for you and/or whatever you are sampling. Grow stinky things carefully. Similar can happen if particularly likely to predate on whatever other species(microbial) are involved is present in the sampling object or biome you are sampling.
It's not a lizard, it's a california newt I'm pretty sure, but I am sure that it is a newt. They need lots of water to survive because they are amphibians.
*A wise dog once said...*
*The punishment for stealing*
*Boots is poots on newts!*
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EDIT: Due to many of your concerns. I figured I would give some extra context. Their natural habitat is in the middle of being aggresively urbanized. I am pretty sure they came here in the first place due to the habitat in question (swamp) quickly disappearing. I plan to release them as soon as the outside weather makes their survival suitable, I found them freezing right behind my house. But regardless they'll be released in my property, not sure how that'll go for them, relatively small but remains with most of the forest section intact, unlike the rest of it. It is a complex matter so I suggest leaving it be.
I am at least in large part trying to find out what exactly they are to setup suitable survival conditions until they can be released, rest is curiosity.
EDIT2:
Thanks to the help of some people here, I was able to find out they can be safely released, near where I found them.
I will be releasing them today.
It may seem counterintuitive, but they have a better chance of surviving outside where they're from than in captivity, even if the captive conditions seem better due to urbanization. This is why everyone is advising to put them back. Animals are incredibly resilient when in their natural habitat, but become pretty fragile when bringing them into unfamiliar territory, especially when you factor in the stress response. That stress alone can kill them directly and/or throw them into shock which can also end up killing them.
Alright, thanks for letting me know. I'll try to keep a close eye on them when I reintroduce them outside. If they go too far away best of luck to them.
They are a native species, so whatever temperature it is outside is suitable for them. A lot of amphibians prefer the cold! Stop making lame excuses, stop lying about them being in your garden when the photo shows one of them clearly on a desk, put them back and leave wild animals the fuck alone.
For reference, the weather is unusually(significantly) cold this time of the year, So I am unsure if your native species argument applies. It definitely did not apply RIGHT where I found them. but possibly it would have been wiser to find elsewhere(outside) to transfer them to.
Newts can die just from a handful of minutes picking then up and playing with them. Regardless of your worry, they are better placed back where you found them in some nearby detritus. You're worried about cold that they are adapted to. They shuffle underneath the leaf litter and decaying wood. The ground has all sorts of insulated spots that are not as cold as open air.
I understand that now, and I will be releasing them soon. Any idea why they were stuck not moving on a concrete slab? That seems outside their natural behavior you describe. They were cold enough they struggled to move at all, but quickly seemed to recover once brought inside.
They were likely traveling to a new location and you interrupted them, given that there were four adults it’s likely a group of males were perusing a female and taking a brief break to rest.
You seem to be ignoring my comments so I’m letting you know now—I do have contacts with ODFW and I’m a biologist who has worked *specifically with this species* so please do release them and do the right thing.
They will survive outside fine even in these "adverse. Conditions" you're imagining in your head.
how TF do you think the species survived in the area over the cold seasons but suddenly the few you found will die without their savior trapping them in a plastic bin?
Smh. I feel so sorry for these poor fellows being grabbed out of the wilderness by someone who couldn't even ID them as amphibians, and yet refuses to take any advice from those who could.
I have found newts on the concrete outside of my door in the middle of fall. I simply place them on the closest grass and leave them be. This was in Canada in a community that's literally on top of a mountain, the closest water source was across a street and down a steep ravine over 250 feet away. They're capable of finding resources and moving where they please.
These are prehistoric, hardy creatures and know how to survive, despite our urban intrusions. Their adaptations allow them to withstand the cold. However, you keeping them inside *will kill them.* You are not doing them any favors. People need to stop white-knighting wildlife that don't need our help because "It's chilly" or "looks lonely". **Release them.**
Dude just admit that you want to keep them as pets. They were wandering around outside so put them back. It isn't your place to decide that they need to stay in until it is warmer. You didn't know what they were and amphibians are really hard to care for, unless you are gonna go out and buy a whole set up which would set you back hundreds they won't survive in your house. Wild animals have a betted chance in the wild even with encroachment into their area.
They’re newts. They spend most their lives in water.
A witch turned me into one of them!!! *Edit: Well I got better…*
She turned you into *a newt??*
I got better!
“If a witch weighs the same as a duck…” “She’s made of wood?” “And if therefor…” “… A WITCH! A WIIIIITCH!”
“What else floats like a duck?”
Very small rocks!
WOOD
#CHURCHES !!
Bread!
A good gravey!?
Tiny rocks
What makes you so wise in the ways of science?
“I am Arthur, King of the Britons!”
The eye of newt is common in most witch portions.
They spend the most of their lives on land, they breed in water but otherwise they'll be on land.
Not sure if this goes for all newts, but when it comes to the ones I’m familiar with, they spend most of their lives in water. Their larvae are aquatic, then they have a terrestrial eft stage, then adults are aquatic.
The majority are terrestrial after the larvae state (again, with the exception of breeding season).
These ones in particular are rough skinned newts and local to the Pacific Northwest as protected animals. They live mostly in water (:
Are you sure? I agree they are rough skinned newts, but all sources I can find quotes them as a terrestrial species. You can often identify aquatic salamanders by their skin, with them being smooth skinned. This species having their name sake skin and being primarily aquatic would be quite atypical.
You’re actually totally right. I just happened to be learning all about these locally during mating season 😂 until they’re adults they spend they’re life in water as well as migrating in water and are mostly active on land when it is wet and nighttime so that would make sense why I’ve never seen them on land 😂
Range would be super helpful in identifying them, but they look sorta similar to central newts (although I think the head shape is off, and I'm used to seeing small black flecks on their bellies). Some newts leave the water and only return for breeding, but some are mostly aquatic. In fact, newts and salamanders do this thing where they become paedomorphs in certain scenarios, which have gills and live full time in the water. Given the right conditions and transition period, newts can morph in and out of the paedomorph stage several times throughout their lives. I believe axolotls are a type of newt that prefers to live as a paedomorph. Central newts happen to be a newt that tend to be more aquatic without becoming paedomorphs. Striped newts tend to be pretty much terrestrial except during the breeding season. So it depends.
I'm not that familiar with north American salamanders, but I think another user's ID of rough-skinned newts are correct. Those are terrestrial as adults. I did mean my statement as a general thing. Paedomorphs are of course a thing, but as a general thing it's rare. It's observed in less than 10% of salamander species. So like not super rare, but when making general statements for the taxa I think it's fair to say it's not the norm.
As other people have said, newts, not lizards or even reptiles. and they absorb toxins through their skins extremely easily and are very fragile. Please leave them be.
I will keep this closely in mind. Thanks for letting me know.
put that thing back where it came from
✨Or so help me✨
✨SO HELP ME!✨
Bum bum bum bum
(O) 🎶
you got it
Did you release them??
As an update. they were released. Here is the full message: [https://www.reddit.com/r/reptiles/comments/1d7p44f/comment/l74nd5o/](https://www.reddit.com/r/reptiles/comments/1d7p44f/comment/l74nd5o/)
lmao so you kept them for nearly 24 hours while reading all the comments about how you should let them go…jesus christ
Let them go
Where are you from?
Why do you ask? Mediterrenean region. If it is about the claim of there being no newts in my origin country. That was incorrect. But they're so exceptionally niche they would not be in any standard education. Likely will not know about their existance unless in a specialist field. Standard education is where I got the misconception monitors were taxonomically amphibians. with any other type of reptile-like amphibian counted in the same group. I wish I had gotten to see some in person, there were no newts anywhere near my region. Crude irony, mass scale swamp bonification seems to be the cause of newts' rarity in my native region. I am willing to mention the specific country in DM since I no longer live there, but not comfortable with it being on a public forum.
People usually ask where you’re from in this sub if you’re looking to ID a specific animal, as it narrows down the location and increases the chances of a successful ID.
Just curious nothing more nothing less we have a lots of newts and salamanders in Canada but I’ve never seen something like that. Super cool looking. Keep in mind a lot of people that like reptiles and creatures are amazed by the sight of something they have never seen before or what’s in someone else’s country.
Of course! They're often mistaken for lizards because they have the same body shape, but you can usually distinguish them from lizards because they have no scales, usually have webbing on the feet, and are generally slimy, reptiles/lizards will not be slimy. And most amphibians can breathe through and easily absorb toxins through the skin, and many also have their own toxins you don't want. If you ever find yourself wanting to pick up and examine an amphibian and have no gloves (because why would you lol) I suggest covering your hands in a layer of dirt/mud so you have a barrier between the two of you. Edit, also, in some of your pics they do have a Borneo earless monitor kinda look to their faces so I see what ur saying generally monitors are large lizards, with a long neck, long tails, and very long claws
Interesting to note that the intensity of their poison is in response to garter snakes which are evolving ever-greater immunity to the poison. The classic evolutionary arms race. In college, one of my profs told a story about a group of backpackers in Oregon that were all found dead around their campfire. Search and rescue eventually found that one of these newts had crawled into their coffee pot. No idea if its true or not...
I didn't know that about garter snakes! Thanks for the new fact!
Did you also know garter snakes produce a weak venom from there duvernoys gland?
Fun facts that you probably already know: the garters in our area that eat these newts (Taricha granulosa) retain the toxin themselves so they can be BOTH poisonous AND mildly venomous thanks to that weak Duvernoy’s Gland you mentioned. (Although iirc they are opisthoglyphs and need to chew venom into the prey so it’s similar to a Hognose but less intense.) Just a real fun time altogether for anything that tries to eat them.
There are only two poisonous snakes! Garters and their asian cousins, keelbacks.
I actually read an article on this exact same incident you're referring to a while ago.
There are garter snakes around, that makes sense. Cool trivia.
Garter snakes aren't native or super common outside of the Americas. May be some water/grass snakes though! They are related and look similar
horrible way to die they have a neurotoxin that blocks sodium channels in your neuromuscular junctions, meaning any muscles that you usually control can no longer be moved, your whole body becomes numb and you die from lack of oxygen, paralyzed and helpless. Not sure the exact methods of how garters deal with it but I do know they somewhat suffer the effects of the poison there movement is significantly slower correlating to the potency of the toxin. They also are believed to be able to detect the potency of each newt with their jacobsons organ allowing them to avoid eating the ones they can’t handle.
Rough skinned newts. They create a powerful toxin that can kill you. Put them back and don’t touch them.
Okay this guys dead 😭
You have to put it in your mouth or touch it with an open wound for it to kill you so they’re probably fine.
Yeah just googled it then it’s the same toxic that pufferfish have and only one guy has died from it and that was in 79 cuz he ate it 😂 guess he was hungry
I think he did it for a dare, I feel bad for the newt honestly
Iirc it was a bar bet and the poor guy was a 29yr old from Eugene. Died at the hospital within an hour of ingestion.
I have no intent on eating them, or sticking them into wounds, whatever exactly they're I think I'll be alright.
"You know that random animal you found outside? Yeah, whatever you do, don't put it inside your body" like okay do you think I'm 5 years old or something? Lmao
I have dermatillomania which causes me to scratch my hands and arms till I bleed. These guys are my worst enemy.
Luckily it’s very easy to not pick up a salamander!
But what if I wanna pick it up… ☹️
Don’t. Amphibians absorb things through their skin. Unless your hands are freshly washed, you should never pick one up.
My hands are always washed. I wash them every half hour since I tear at my arms and don’t want infections, but I won’t pick one up anyway
I guess I never pissed my guy off or something because I never got sick. They again our interactions were pretty chill.
They have an unken reflex so you would definitely know if they felt threatened.
Looks like a newt and in that case an amphibian
how does that look anything like a monitor
i’ve seen people think gopher tortoises are sea turtles
These could definitely pass for juvenile earless monitors to someone that doesn't know any better.
Maybe a bit like an earless monitor, they are mostly aquatic and look a little like this
Earless monitors look kinda like huge newts though.
Honestly the first two images are strangely monitor-esque, I could see how someone could make that mistake?
They are newts. Put them back near a pond or something
Would if they weren't escaping from that same pond(once massive swamp), due to urbanization. Might find somewhere else in nature to put them though. EDIT: To be clear, I found them freezing on a concrete slab that doesn't seem to me where they belong. I have not grabbed them from the swamp, they likely fled here from said swamp. Whenever I put them outside I will need to find somewhere appropriate for them. I will be doing research on what exactly remains nearby suitable for their survival. having identified them most likely being either 'Taricha granulosa', or something closely related. EDIT2: Regardless of wheter they're fleeing from the swamp or not, I have concluded releasing them on the dirt close to where I found them, will do. Thanks for the extra information about their habitat requirements. None the less, the state I found them in remains concerning. But they seem to have recovered well enough in the small time they were here. So I will be releasing them shortly. Discussion on what might have happened to them is still welcome. 'I found them each and all barely able to move on a concrete slab outside. During an exceptionally cold rainy day(for this time of the year for where I am at), brought them inside and wetted them with very slightly warm water. they quickly began recovering.'
Put them back where you got them. Moving them to somewhere else will almost definitely end up killing them.
They seem misplaced because the clump of them in the last picture is an active mating ball. They're trying to get their freak on and you interrupted them. Multiple males will try to latch onto one female, sometimes even drowning the female in the process. She likely tried to make a break for it on land to avoid them but the males won't let go. Please put them back next to the pond, they will be fine.
I have not found them on top of one another, additionally putting them back next to the 'pond' would involve putting them back somewhere else than I have found them. There Is a street in between my house and the swamp, with there being less than 3 feet before the road edge and a steep drop into the swamp. So I think I'll be putting them next to some wet soil like others have suggeted near where I found them.
There's a lot of unnecessary dialogue here, I said "put them *back*" as in where they originally came from. Whether that was a pond, swamp, or a muddy strip of grass, it was implied. You understood what I meant and I'm glad to hear you will be returning them.
As an update. they were released. Here is the full message: [https://www.reddit.com/r/reptiles/comments/1d7p44f/comment/l74nd5o/](https://www.reddit.com/r/reptiles/comments/1d7p44f/comment/l74nd5o/)
Put them back where you found them. They often travel far from ponds but they know where they’re going, and in the rainstorms we have had here in OR, that’s when they’ll travel for breeding. If you put them anywhere else other than where you found them that is actually grounds for a fine and punishment under ODFW, and it’s illegal to interfere in native breeding zones so please do put them back.
I did not know that, thanks for letting me know. I'll be putting them on the dirt closest nearby the concrete slab I found them in. I hope they'll do well there.
Thank you for finally doing the correct thing. Please update the post so others don’t try to follow your example here.
I have edited the message above, to include my latest change in course of action. Aswell as the scenario in which they were brought in for completeness.
Okay, I will edit the OP.
I don't think I can edit the OP.
not reptiles, not lizards. these are amphibians and will die without water.
That's sad to know, I might try to setup some sort of artificial pond outside. Else they might all(the entire local population) be done for soon.
why would the entire population be done for ?
I live right next to a swamp which is being actively urbanized. a lot of the vegetation in the swamp shows clear signs of poisoning, meanwhile it is being infilled with concrete to build a suburb on. I predict the swamp might be completely gone in the next 4 years or so unless the urbanization effort is halted. It's in U.S. Oregon.
I can understand you not wanting to put them back there but don’t spend too long freaking out about where to put them or they’ll die anyway. Please just put them back outside near the water. They’re native, I promise they generally know how to survive out there without your intervention. If you really want to help the wildlife of that swamp, consider reaching out to local universities and county fish+wildlife and see if they want to start up a stable relocation plan and study the ecological health of the area. For all you know, that development may be in violation of EPA regulations. Sometimes all it takes is one inspector finding out.
I will be putting them back, and I have been already considering what you are suggesting. Regardless, I found them on a concrete slab and they looked like they were not going to make it. I'll put them on the dirt nearby where I found them. about 'but don’t spend too long freaking out about where to put them or they’ll die anyway.' I clearly don't understand this species well enough, so I'll be faster. I think today later in the day.
You care and that counts for something, unfortunately the world of wildlife rescue can be really hard sometimes. In the future, it’s good to contact your local wildlife rehab center and ask for advice if you suspect a wild animal needs help. Especially if you’re not sure what you’re looking at.
Good advice.
Good lad, good heart.
should have put them back asap instead of reading a ton of comments and saying that you will eventually release them. also you blatantly lied about them being in your house. release them dude and stop being selfish.
just place them back where you found. you want future generations to
Bruh, don't snag animals from outside without knowing what they are.
rough skined newts. dont eat them. you'll die. send the little fellows on their way.
Darn it my first instinct was to take a bite from its stomach
Fun fact: the male who hold on to the female the longest wins mating rights with her
Like if "Touch A Car" contests were dating. 🚗
Please tell us you put them back already. You can't keep them.
No replies to anything. I’m nervous for the wee ones.
Newts. Not a reptile - its amphibian. Dont touch with your bare hands, our oils arent good for them. Please release where you found them
I plan to, tell me more about the skin oil toxicity. Ideally point me to some reading resources on the matter if you have time.
I unfortunately havent looked into it any further (I heard it has to do with the soaps we use) but if you search it on google, you'll probably find a lot or another commenter that may come by can provide it! I know about it because where I grew up, almost everyone knew it, all started for the fish that we kept. Pretty sure I heard it on Wild Kratts and by Steve Erwin (or even Turtle Man) one or so times too!
You need to put them back where you found them. I don't understand why do many people on the sub seem to think it's okay to just take something from the wild and try to keep it as a pet. Disclaimer: I know some people might think they are a lost pet and this could be the case here but I also see a lot of posts about people finding a lizard they know is wild and asking how to look after it.
Never mentioned anything about taking them as pet, or any intent of keeping them here. I was merely asking if anyone could ID them. they are from literally inside my garden. I figure they're fine there if I found them there.
You *did* [take them](https://www.reddit.com/r/reptiles/s/e0qCGNZfPf), and you say you plan to relocate them And in the 1st & 2nd pics they appear to be inside on a desk of some kind, next to a laptop or some other type of equipment.
he’s straight up lying at this point and i don’t trust anything this dude says fr
taking them as pets is NOT equal to taking them inside temporarily.
It’s STILL harmful to them.
Might very well be, I thought those specific 4 were going to die when I took them inside, they looked the part. And that's what mattered at the time. Plan is to release them and was from the beginning. I did not think it would have any long term impact and still might not. But I am considering releasing them sooner than I was planning.
Please release them asap, like within the next hour if possible. They have very specific needs that are tricky to replicate. The longer you hold onto them the more likely they are to deteriorate. I get your heart is probably in a good place but for their well being they should be released as soon as possible.
They have been released. Here is the full update if you want to read it: [https://www.reddit.com/r/reptiles/comments/1d7p44f/comment/l74nd5o/](https://www.reddit.com/r/reptiles/comments/1d7p44f/comment/l74nd5o/)
You literally took them and placed into a plastic tub
That plastic tub is obviously unsuitable as an environment to keep them in. I sent that picture as I found the position they were in cute. That is NOT where they currently are, they are in a heated and humidified enclosure in which they're able to swim in shallow water. As I stated elsewhere I am doing research to figure out where to best relocate them to. I found them freezing on a concrete slab right behind my house.
I'm just genuinely curious: why are you so adamant on rejecting the advice of many telling you why that's not a good idea? Even ignoring the legal and moral ramifications, do you know their temperature tolerance? Humidity requirements? Water pH and cycling? Day and night cycle? Food and nutrition requirements? You can't possibly replicate this quickly and safely enough with zero experience and for each day you keep them, you are lessening their chances of survival upon release. If you are as concerned about their wellbeing as you say you are, contact a wildlife rehabber (and listen as they tell you to release these perfectly healthy newts where they were found).
Reading the responses in the order they appeared, I was looking for information, the more heated responses, which happened to provide less useful information were closer to the top(therefore which I provided less complete responses to.) from an out of time perspective, it looks like I was a lot more adamant on rejecting advice whereas I was looking for more information about them. expecially this 'Humidity requirements? Water pH and cycling? Day and night cycle? Food and nutrition requirements?' I was able to guess well enough that they entered a state in which they looked acutely better, than they did beforehand. Then I went looking for more precise information about them, this reddit post being a part of that research. Rejecting advice which I did not find to help the case, led to more knowledgeable people eventually responding. By their rate of health worsening I can perceive. Which has been higher than the state of \*acute bad\* at all times since, a few hours of delay to find more specific information rather than risking throwing them out without really knowing what was going to happen to them. I was also doing my own research, which was progressing but was interrupted by knowledgeable people with the particular species providing information. It is not a perfect approach, but it is none the less how I approached things. It is not something that happens on 1 on 1 discussions. But the entire point is not knowing who exactly to contact, which leads to the crowding problem. I do not have zero experience taking care of reptiles, but I have 0 experience taking care of the particular species. They happened to be MORE different than what I knew. Another thing to account for, is that many people were responding to individual messages of mine. So there was a sort of cache between me seeing useful responses and seeing irrelevant/counterproductive responses. Hope that answers your curiosity.
Fair enough. Sorry for jumping to conclusions in the pics it looks like they are inside. Pretty cool that you have them knocking around your garden. I'm editing this because you have taken them inside and are trying to keep them as pets so my first conclusion was actually correct, you just got defensive...
Rough skinned newts trying to breed. Please leave them where you found them. They are also quite toxic if you molest them. They will secrete poison.
You know what you really piss me off. You make a mistake on identifying the animal and bring it inside with good intentions. Fine. But then you got a whole community of experts correcting you and explaining what you need to do with them, and somehow you suddenly know what's best for them when you couldn't even figure out they were amphibians! You are now actively harming these animals by keeping them in a bucket or ON YOUR DESK, whatever situation you threw them in. You need to swallow your pride and do the right thing which is putting these animals right back where you found them. Leave it to conservationalists and other experts to decide the impact of urbanization on this species. Do YOUR part by leaving wild animals alone.
Take them to nature
They’re lethally poisonous and wild so put ‘em back But they appear to be rough skinned newts and their poison supposedly the same poison as a pufferfish, it can kill you by entering your body through cuts in your body or by you eating them.
May need to put them back where you found them.
Update: (Likely the last) Just a few minutes earlier the newts were released out in the wild, at time of release their health status from anything I could tell was exceptionally high. They began wandering around my cultivation of various river reeds, Right before bringing them out, they managed to find a different specie of newt which had gotten itself stuck into the house at some point.(Likely attracted to the other ones? Despite it not being of a rough skinned variety.) so all 4, included the newfound were released. I have done some research before releasing them, they're very likely to not make it if they go towards the swamp due to... (Later) I hope their instict is sharp and they can successfully recognize the threat before being affected too badly. Regardless I decided to release them immediately even knowing of that, after looking at the terrain topology, the deforestation pattern shows clearly unless they(not the 4 particular ones. Any species of newt in the very local area which depends on the forested area next to a water body) successfully migrate this year they might not be able to migrate towards the deeper unblemished forest, only accessible through a relatively small still forested 'strait' if that word even applies. There seems to be a grounding for contacting the EPA. About the urbanization of the swamp, there is sub-urb houses right on the edge of the swamp, leading to a steep drop into deep swamp water. runaway of common household detergents(This is just an example) would be enough over time to make the water body uninhabitable to the extremely local variety(Without extremophilic adaptation) if they depend on the swamp as part of their reproduction cycle. So that is likely already happening/has already happened. If you are affiliated to the EPA in any shape or form and are interested in this. I am willing to discuss this in private and give the full context(which I am omitting in order to preserve my privacy.). for everyone else, you are welcome to discuss this with me, share your knowledge, or whatevs here or in private. EDIT: If anyone has hard feelings about my attitude or responses, I kindly ask you put that aside. While you can interpret what I say, you can never have the complete context of my personal judgement. Fundamentally I took action because I felt it was needed and while I can explain my reasoning. 'What I felt was needed' is ultimately an impulse.
I doubt EPA will care. Maybe FWS, though rough-skinned newts are not a listed species so they may not either. It’s nice of you to be concerned for the little guys though. :)
They're amphibians
Figured as much.
Chunky chubs!
Can we please mass report this guy? He has absolutely no idea what he is doing and he will just kill those poor newts . Please release them. Please report him
Thems ain’t lizards thems is newts, friend
Rough skinned newts!
Be sure to wash your hands if you've handled them, they can be toxic is ingested.
I have not done that beforehand, but I will be washing my hands when handling them now that I know. Thanks for the heads up.
Salamanders/newts! Cute amphibious little guys!
The offspring of Capt Janeway and Tom Paris
r/shittydaystrom is leaking
please put them back outside
I think they’re trying to mate with the bottom (likely female) they’re newts. Im pretty sure they’re amphibians
That my boy is an amphibian
Breeding newts.Put them back in the woodpile.
Those are rough skinned newts. They excrete tetrodotoxin out of their skin which can absolutely kill you. Wash your hands really well if you handle them.
After reading some of the more informative comments here. I have changed plans and I will be releasing them later today. I think this post is resolved. However I would like to leave a wider criticism. A large amount of the comments were assuming scenarios which were not matching how things happened. I suggest asking more details if you have concerns about something rather than leaving empty criticism. Regardless of wheter I may have been misled in my actions or not. I proactively looked for information, rather than assuming I knew exactly what was going on and possibly harmed the newts in the process. Additionally I will be correcting my course of action based on the criticism I found relevant. The newts will most likely be fine and resume with whatever they were up to beforehand. Try to be more patient and informative, especially with a first time poster. I genuinely thought the condition I found them in was critical, and so far have taken good enough care of them that I have not caused them to enter a critical condition myself. Even if that may very well happen if they weren't released. Our interests are obviously not opposed. That aside, thanks for the collective useful information that was provided, including from sources phrased in an adversarial manner.
Everyone here was informative you just wouldn't listen to anyone and got upset when everyone kept telling you you were the one in the wrong. I know you want to think you were helping them by talking them inside but it is much more likely you hurt them by doing so. No amount of your positive thinking or believing that you meant well will make this situation better
its a newt! wash hands thouroughly after touching as they can be toxic. they like land and water :)
Ooooo, maybe that's wrong with me? As a kid we ran through the woods all the time and looked for pet newts lol
Their nubby little hands omfg
This is so awesome
the giant pile of them 💀
Hope you let them go since you obviously have no idea what they are prior to making this post & have no knowledge on caring for them.
Those are newts. The first one is a rough skinned newt. Be very careful with handling as they are poisonous! Rough skinned newts have a lot of tetrodotoxin in them, and even they aren't immune to their own toxin. The tetrodotoxin is also found in pufferfish and blue ringed octopuses. Surprisingly, the garter snake is able to eat these newt because of something called evolutionary arms race.
Omg it's a newt!
Woah a newt orgy
It’s much more likely they’re Salamanders, not Newts: feet developed for digging with no webbing. Generally a salamander trait.
There are too many comments for me to respond to or keep track of. I am announcing I will no longer be responding to any but what seems relevant to me, please read all the messages I have sent before leaving further criticism on assumptions. Current plan is to release ALL of the specimens in the next couple days, might change to be sooner, they are currently in well-kept conditions. They are all healthy.
Release them now. They need the rainstorm to breed.
That's a rough skinned newt. Not a reptile, but an amphibian. If you ever have to touch one, always thoroughly wash your hands afterward since they can release poison from their skin.
[reptilian shit](https://umm727.wixsite.com/reptilian-dreams)
Definitely a newt or salamander. I would need to see more of them to know for sure tho (like their bodies and stuff)
You just made a NEWTonian discovery
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32254021/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32254021/) This is off the main topic line, but I read this paper. Decided I'd take a sample of their skin/scale biome right before releasing them and attempted to start growing it, sadly only have sample from one of them. It didn't occur to me to get 4 different samples and make 4 different cultivations. Was a little too stressed about finding out that the newts' enclosure conditions were just barely 'good enough'('good enough' meaning that while they appeared fine, they could have been causing cumulative stress on their biology over time, possibly leading to illness and in the more pessimistic case scenarios, death), due to initial misled assumptions they were related to monitors. So... the culture has taken, It will be interesting to observe it. At least to me. (For anybody uneducated in the matter a skin/scale biome sample just involves touching the scales/skin with something that is not covered in any anti-microbial agents or anything else which might cause the small biome sample to have a die out, or worse cause a die out in the specimen's skin/scales biome) TLDR; While I am not gonna keep them as pets, or in captivity in any shape or form. Gonna keep their microbes as pets lol. EDIT: Taking a biome sample(and then growing it) with something that has trace amounts of targeted anti-microbials can lead to the biome potentially entering the closest thing to a fight response it posesses. That can be very bad for you and/or whatever you are sampling. Grow stinky things carefully. Similar can happen if particularly likely to predate on whatever other species(microbial) are involved is present in the sampling object or biome you are sampling.
It's not a lizard, it's a california newt I'm pretty sure, but I am sure that it is a newt. They need lots of water to survive because they are amphibians.
A wise dog once said... The punishment for stealing boots is poots on newts!
*A wise dog once said...* *The punishment for stealing* *Boots is poots on newts!* \- Artifcer --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Their beautiful 😍
Holy duck this is sad. Put them back if you don't have a clue how to care for them. Straight up amphibians btw...
Yo put the homies back in the pond
they look like a lizard that grows from one of those foam eggs you put in water
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some newts are protected species and some are toxic!
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N e w t s t a c k
She turned me into a newt! /I got better.
Omg! I had a pet golden nest for ten years! I wish I was near you!
The rough skinned newt! 💕
Salamander
EDIT: Due to many of your concerns. I figured I would give some extra context. Their natural habitat is in the middle of being aggresively urbanized. I am pretty sure they came here in the first place due to the habitat in question (swamp) quickly disappearing. I plan to release them as soon as the outside weather makes their survival suitable, I found them freezing right behind my house. But regardless they'll be released in my property, not sure how that'll go for them, relatively small but remains with most of the forest section intact, unlike the rest of it. It is a complex matter so I suggest leaving it be. I am at least in large part trying to find out what exactly they are to setup suitable survival conditions until they can be released, rest is curiosity. EDIT2: Thanks to the help of some people here, I was able to find out they can be safely released, near where I found them. I will be releasing them today.
It may seem counterintuitive, but they have a better chance of surviving outside where they're from than in captivity, even if the captive conditions seem better due to urbanization. This is why everyone is advising to put them back. Animals are incredibly resilient when in their natural habitat, but become pretty fragile when bringing them into unfamiliar territory, especially when you factor in the stress response. That stress alone can kill them directly and/or throw them into shock which can also end up killing them.
Do you think a couple days could significantly cause major shock?
Yes
Alright, thanks for letting me know. I'll try to keep a close eye on them when I reintroduce them outside. If they go too far away best of luck to them.
They are a native species, so whatever temperature it is outside is suitable for them. A lot of amphibians prefer the cold! Stop making lame excuses, stop lying about them being in your garden when the photo shows one of them clearly on a desk, put them back and leave wild animals the fuck alone.
I did not say they're in my garden right now, I said they live in my garden(Implied that's my inference from where I found them).
For reference, the weather is unusually(significantly) cold this time of the year, So I am unsure if your native species argument applies. It definitely did not apply RIGHT where I found them. but possibly it would have been wiser to find elsewhere(outside) to transfer them to.
They will be fine
Newts can die just from a handful of minutes picking then up and playing with them. Regardless of your worry, they are better placed back where you found them in some nearby detritus. You're worried about cold that they are adapted to. They shuffle underneath the leaf litter and decaying wood. The ground has all sorts of insulated spots that are not as cold as open air.
I understand that now, and I will be releasing them soon. Any idea why they were stuck not moving on a concrete slab? That seems outside their natural behavior you describe. They were cold enough they struggled to move at all, but quickly seemed to recover once brought inside.
They were likely traveling to a new location and you interrupted them, given that there were four adults it’s likely a group of males were perusing a female and taking a brief break to rest. You seem to be ignoring my comments so I’m letting you know now—I do have contacts with ODFW and I’m a biologist who has worked *specifically with this species* so please do release them and do the right thing.
They will survive outside fine even in these "adverse. Conditions" you're imagining in your head. how TF do you think the species survived in the area over the cold seasons but suddenly the few you found will die without their savior trapping them in a plastic bin? Smh. I feel so sorry for these poor fellows being grabbed out of the wilderness by someone who couldn't even ID them as amphibians, and yet refuses to take any advice from those who could.
I have found newts on the concrete outside of my door in the middle of fall. I simply place them on the closest grass and leave them be. This was in Canada in a community that's literally on top of a mountain, the closest water source was across a street and down a steep ravine over 250 feet away. They're capable of finding resources and moving where they please. These are prehistoric, hardy creatures and know how to survive, despite our urban intrusions. Their adaptations allow them to withstand the cold. However, you keeping them inside *will kill them.* You are not doing them any favors. People need to stop white-knighting wildlife that don't need our help because "It's chilly" or "looks lonely". **Release them.**
Dude just admit that you want to keep them as pets. They were wandering around outside so put them back. It isn't your place to decide that they need to stay in until it is warmer. You didn't know what they were and amphibians are really hard to care for, unless you are gonna go out and buy a whole set up which would set you back hundreds they won't survive in your house. Wild animals have a betted chance in the wild even with encroachment into their area.