Eastern Newt

[pauraque]

I spotted this very Not Camouflaged friend on a dirt road where I was walking. Investigation revealed that it's the juvenile stage of the Eastern Newt. They start out life in an aquatic tadpole stage that lasts a few months, and then metamorphose into this fancy terrestrial form, also called a Red Eft. The bright orange color is a warning that they carry a neurotoxin which Wikipedia says is "the strongest emetic that is known." (Not eager to learn how science found that out.) After a couple of years in this phase, they transform into their green adult form and return to the water, remaining aquatic for the rest of their lives.

The terrestrial stage is supposed to make it easier for them to colonize new habitats so the species doesn't become overly dependent on specific breeding spots.