Know Your Newts

Love and poison are in the water!
Presenter: Kannon Pearson

The peaceful waters of the Japanese Pool–a haven for amphibian mating season–also house a deadly surprise: the cute newts that live there have a powerful neurotoxin in their skin. Thankfully, the only way to be poisoned by a newt is to eat it, and newt predators have evolved fascinating strategies to survive the toxin. Watch this fascinating presentation, and learn about the basics of newt toxins, life cycles, ecology, and the history of newt research in California. You will also learn about the exciting newt science projects underway in the Botanical Garden.

About the presenter: Kannon Pearson is a 4th-year PhD student in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley. She studies newt toxins, development, and hybridization. When not splashing about in ponds, she can be found drawing amphibians and participating in efforts to diversify and share science!

Banner image courtesy: Seth Sarah