Red Eft

Posted on in Recent Sightings by Hawk Mountain

A vibrant Red Eft rests on a rock

If you find yourself at Hawk Mountain just after rain, you may just spot a Red Eft moving around the forest floor. The Red Eft is a Juvenile Red-Spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens), and its bright orange color warns predators that it secretes poisonous toxins. Red-spotted Newts are native to New York and the eastern United States. They people the favor of helping to reduce mosquito populations by eating their larvae!

 

 

Photo by Sue Wetmore