Another image from my upcoming "Salamanders & Newts"... The California newt or orange-bellied newt is a species of newt endemic to California, in the Western United States. It resides in the coastal counties of California and in the southern Sierra Nevada and occupy a diverse array of habitats found near the small ponds and creeks where they breed, including woodlands and chaparral. Its adult length can range from 5 to 8 in (13 to 20 cm). It has warty, slate-gray skin on its back and bright orange-yellow skin underneath. It is very similar in appearance to the rough-skinned newt and they are often indistinguishable without dissection, but in general, the California newt has orange skin around the bottom of its eye while the Rough-skinned has gray skin. It also has eyes that protrude beyond the edge of the jaw line when viewed from above (while the eyes of the rough-skinned do not protrude), giving its head a more bullet-like appearance. Newts are amphibians. Their skin tends to be rougher than the skin of salamanders. The California newt's prey include earthworms, snails, slugs, woodlice, bloodworms, mosquito larvae, crickets, and other invertebrates. Its skin produces the potent toxin tetrodotoxin, which is hundreds of times more toxic than cyanide. This neurotoxin is strong enough to kill most vertebrates, including humans. Due to their toxicity, California newts have few natural predators. The California newt, is currently a California Special Concern species. Some populations have been greatly reduced in southern California coastal streams due to the introduction of non-native, invasive species and human habitation. The mosquitofish and red swamp crayfish have caused the greatest reduction in newt populations. Garter snakes are the most common predator, and some species have developed a genetic resistance to tetrodotoxin. Habitat loss and destruction, particularly as a result from human alteration of the land, is a threat to newt populations throughout California.