I was hiking recently in the Santa Monica Mountains in CA, and many newts of the orangish/red variety were out and about. I came across what looked like a ‘ball’ of newts hovering underwater in a shallow stream. I got a close look but was not really able to figure out what exactly comprised this ball of newts. It looked like 2 newts hugging each other but between them was some unidentifiable mass that was newt-like but not quite – perhaps some baby newts? a dead newt? a pregnant newt belly? It looked bizarre.
Also, there were two other newts swimming around this ball of newts trying to ‘gain access’ to this mass. But the ‘ball of newts’ were pretty good at denying them. This ball of newts was pretty motionless – but it didn’t look lifeless.
I watched for at least 10 minutes and noticed the two other newts had to come to the surface for air a couple times, but the ball of newts never did.
My only thought was that this bizarre behavior was a) some sexual thing b) some offspring protectionist thing or c) some bizarre death ritual.
Any answers? Or at least resources where I can find the answer to this question?
Please help! It was a really bizarre sight and I can’t rest until I understand it!
skyboy72
It sounds like a mating frenzy - at least when you see frogs and toads doing this sort of thing, there’s a female in the middle and a bunch of males all trying to fertilise her eggs. Sometimes the female dies as a result of the excessive amorous attention.
Answer a) :). It was a mating aggregation, with a frenzied bunch of male newts swirling around a female. The males generally arrive at the breeding ponds first and early in the season tend to mob females as they start arriving one by one a little later.
Nice little reference page for California Taricha : http://www.livingunderworld.org/caudata/database/salamandridae/taricha/
The newt’s love life is complexus
As many gather to the nexus
Together one and all
In a big lover’s ball
They aren’t in love but in amplexus
Loved the poem, adirondack_mike. Since the question has been answered, just thought I’d chime in to say I’ve seen the same thing. In my experience, it’s usually anywhere from 4 - 20 males on a female. One large ball of them was floating along approximately 14" under the surface (in a pond), and none of them was coming up for air. Hard to imagine how the female survives this, when mating can go on from 40 minutes to an hour!
Since my SO hikes in the same places (not always with me), I asked him if he’d seen this, too. He said he hadn’t heard of it, but pointed out that it’s common for garter snakes to do this as well. Did a quick search and found some “balls” the size of basketballs. Interesting information about males impersonating females as well. Learn something new everyday.
thanks everyone for answering my burning question. That was my first post – I wasn’t sure I’d get an answer at all – and I’m completely blown away that it was answered so freakin’ fast! there are a lot of smart people out there i guess…
peace
Newts are able to absorb oxygen through their skin as well as breathing air normally; it may be that the relatively passive female is able to survive completely immersed for quite prolonged periods, while the more active (in this context) males have to keep surfacing for a gulp of air. It may even be that oxygen starvation is a necessary stimulus to induce the female to mate - odder things are found in nature.
Nice blog, thank you. It’s in my favorite list now, though the picture is not an amphibian, it’s a reptile. Just nitpickin’…