A Jolly Old Eft

This little guy looked fake when I first noticed him. The bulging belly tells me that the rains have brought excellent feeding for terrestrial salamanders. This one is almost large enough to make the transition from this eft stage into the adult newt colors and return to the water. They will begin mating just after mid winter. I've seen them swimming under the ice in river side pools.



Below is another local terrestrial, a red salamander. Unlike the young eft above, this guy is a great great granpa, maybe 15 years old or more.