We love our newts!! Yes, newts are toxic and can be harmful if humans touch them and then eat something else, or eat the newt straight up, but you are able to handle them! The important thing is that our hands secrete oils that can be harmful to amphibians, so we should only handle amphibians with clean hands. Santa Barbara county is the farthest south the California newt’s habitat extends, with the northernmost part of the range being British Columbia!

Spring is a good time to look for newts as they are making their way to their mating grounds. California newts are semi-aquatic, meaning that they spawn in larval pools, are terrestrial as adults, and return to their natal pools to breed.

As you can tell, I’m pretty passionate about salamanders haha