Rough-skinned newt

The rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa) is a North American salamander whose skin contains tetrodotoxin, a potent defense against predators.

Tetrodotoxin: A potent neurotoxin that blocks voltage-gated sodium channels and can cause paralysis. The newt’s skin toxin disrupts nerve signaling in potential predators.
Taricha: A genus of toxic salamanders native to western North America. The rough-skinned newt is one of three recognized species in this genus.
California newt: A toxic salamander, Taricha torosa, native to California. It is a close relative with a more southerly range and a similar chemical defense.
Geographic mosaic theory of coevolution: A theory that coevolution varies among places because interactions and selection pressures differ geographically. Newt toxicity and snake resistance vary across populations rather than forming one uniform arms race.
Garter snake: A group of snakes in the genus Thamnophis, some populations of which tolerate tetrodotoxin. Certain garter snakes can eat rough-skinned newts despite their toxin.
Salamander: An amphibian with an elongated body, tail, and usually four limbs, belonging to the order Urodela. This is the amphibian group to which the rough-skinned newt belongs.
Oregon rough-skinned newt: A regional population of Taricha granulosa found in Oregon. Oregon populations feature in studies of geographic variation in toxicity and snake resistance.
Evolutionary trade-off: A constraint in which improving one trait reduces performance in another trait or function. Sodium-channel changes that confer toxin resistance can affect other aspects of snake physiology.
Voltage-gated sodium channel: A membrane protein that opens in response to voltage changes and enables rapid electrical signaling. Tetrodotoxin disables these channels, while resistant snakes carry channel variants that reduce toxin binding.
Amphibian: A vertebrate class whose members typically have aquatic larvae and undergo metamorphosis. The newt’s life cycle links aquatic larval life with terrestrial adulthood.

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Eastern newtCompared with: It is a distant relative with a similar tetrodotoxin-based defense.