Observation ID: 176495

Submitted by iNaturalist on
Condition
Dead
Animal
Pacific Newts
Observation Date / Time

This animal seems like maybe it was in its defensive posture, called an Unken reflex.
A slight distinction between torosa and granulosa is that in the unken reflex, torosa's tail does not curve towards its head whereas in granulosa the tail tip curves toward the head and sometimes curls. Examples can be seen here: http://www.californiaherps.com/salamanders/pages/t.t.torosa.html and here: http://www.californiaherps.com/salamanders/pages/t.granulosa.html.

It's difficult to see the coloration under the eye, but based on the position of its tail, I wonder if this is T. granulosa. Kept ID to genus level only.

This observation is part of an ongoing study of Pacific newt roadkill on Alma Bridge Road, Lexington Reservoir. See our project page for more info.
url: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/68574638

Observer
158411-tyap
Location Description
Santa Clara County, CA, USA

Observation Map