Eye-to-eye with a California newt
Noticed this newt working its way along the forest floor in the rain. I wanted to capture the view at eye-level, so I lay down on the wet ground and positioned my camera on the ground facing in the direction it seemed to be heading. Soaked by the time it arrived, my patience was rewarded with this shot. The California newt is an amphibian that spends part of its life in the water and part on land. Though cute to look at beware of picking up. Adults secrete tetrodoxin (a powerful neurotoxin) through its skin. The same toxin found in pufferfish and harlequin frogs.