(Dramatic music)
- [Narrator] I see it, I see it, I see it.
Right here.
About two and a half foot in front of me.
- [Voiceover] Let's go for it.
- [Narrator] Gotch!
(tribal music)
(serene upbeat music)
- [Narrator] The last place when we think
to look for an amphibian is at the top of a mountain.
However, in a secluded lake on Orcas island,
it just so happens, that one exists.
And we were told, all it takes to find one
is a little searching amongst the Lilly pads.
All right guys, so we have made it to water.
I'm gonna head out across this log
and see if I can find anything.
Check this out!
It's on mountain lake.
Woah!
Now, normally I'd be excited looking for turtles.
But we are way too high up
for there to be any reptile activity.
But, I am told, there is a chance,
we can come across a Rough-skinned newt.
So, I'm gonna start searching
and hopefully come across one of these
illusive little amphibians.
(dramatic music)
(water gurgling)
- [Voiceover] Hey Coyote, Mario's got some
Newts over here man.
They are pretty big too.
- Mark and Mario have spotted some Newts.
So, I am gonna move through all of this
murk and mud and see if we can catch them.
I see it, I see it, I see it.
Right here.
About two and a half feet in front of me.
- [Voiceover] Let's go for it.
Go for it.
- Got it!
- [Voiceover] Yes!
Wooh, there we go!
- Yes!
- [Voiceover] Nice Mario. - Check that out!
- [Voiceover] There are Newts here man.
- [Narrator] Good spotting Mario.
- [Mario] All right!
- Dude, high five!
And that is a Rough-skinned newt.
Okay, let's get up here, out of the water
and get it up close for the cameras.
Woo!
Well, that didn't take long.
Check it out.
Yeah, no question about it,
that is a Rough-skinned newt right there.
And look at that little amphibian,
how adorable is that Newt.
You see all the bumps running along the length of the body?
- [Voiceover] Definitely, oh yeah, all bumpy.
- Pretty crazy right.
Hence, the name Rough-skinned.
Now, if I turn it like this and we look at it's underside.
Look at that bright orange. - Oh yeah.■
- And notice how that bright coloration
runs down the length of the tail?
That's called aposematic coloration.
And this bright color warns any potential predator
that I am toxic.
Now, if a predator like a raccoon or a fox,
comes down to the lake and finds one of these Newts,
and let's say eats it.
There is a good chance that, that animal
is going to become very sick or it could potentially die.
- [Voiceover] Are these?
I heard these are one of the most toxic amphibians
in the United States.
- It is one of the most toxic amphibians.
However, I am in no danger right now,
because the toxin, which can be secreted through
the skin is not harmful, unless you actually ingest it.
So, as long as I don't eat this Newt,
I am going to be just fine.
And look at that, it is on the move.
It's saying right now, "Okay, just wanna get back
into the water, so, I can start hunting for the evening."
And what they feast on are small invertebrates.
Any sort of larvae, little water bug
or even something like, may be even a small fish
would be fair game.
That is one adorable little amphibian.
- [Voiceover] Aw, look it's doing this, it did a back roll.
- Yeah, they'll do anything they can to get away.■
It's best if I just let it walk from hand to hand.
- [Voiceover] Now, Coyote are these only aquatic?
Do they live on land, or just in the water?
- Well they start their early stages
as being completely aquatic as larvae.
And as they get older, like this.
This is an adult, they can obviously go onto land.
They're semi terrestrial, but they spend a majority
of their time in water.
That's where they breed, that's where they hunt
and like most amphibian species,
they do need to stay moist.
But, because this is a Newt, it's skin
can dry out, without having any sort■
of real negative affect to the animal.
In fact, they can travel for miles over land,
moving from body of water to body of water.
- [Voiceover] Now,■I've noticed because we filmed
with Salamanders and Newts.
Newts seem to be a little more lumbary,
they don't move as fast, why is that?
- No, they don't.
They are faster in the water, than they are on land.
And as you can see, they do not have web feet.
And there are four toes on the front,
five toes on the back.
And they kinda walk up on all fours,
when they're traversing across forest terrain.
Much faster in the water than they are on land.
And pretty well camouflage too, I mean if you didn't know
what you were looking for mixed in with
pine cones and sticks and pine needles,
that creature is almost completely invisible
to the human eye.
All right, let's bring you back up here.
Look at those eyes, big bug eyes.
Looks like the eyes of a toad.
And I love that about most amphibian species,
how they have those big eyes
that sit up on top of their skulls.
I'll look at the tail, this is a great opportunity
for us to see how long and flat it is.
That's like a rudder.
And when I went to catch this Newt,
it took of so quickly, it was just a burst of power
from it's tail, that jetted it forward
and I just barely was able to grab a hold of it,
and get it out of the water.
Lot faster that I thought it was gonna be.
That is one speedy little amphibian.
Well, how cool is this?
Exploring around a mountain lake
and we managed to come across one of the most
common amphibians in the state of Washington,
the Rough-skinned newt.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be brave, stay wild.
We'll see you on the next location.
If you thought, getting up close with the Rough-skinned Newt
was fascinating, make sure to go back and watch
the episode, where we got several species of Salamanders
in front of the cameras.
And don't forget, subscribe!
So you can join me in the crew, on our next location!
(wild dramatic music)