Please Don't Lick the Newts

The startlingly bright stomach of the fire-bellied newt is a very eye-catching feature.  It's supposed to be.  It functions that same as the colors of the poison dart frogs, the mantellas, and a host of other amphibians.  It's a message the screams "I'm toxic, leave me alone!"  (Side note: this career would be so much easier if some of my past and present coworkers carried similar warnings.  I digress).

The thing is, though, that unlike the fire-bellied toads, poison dart frogs, etc in the wild, our zoo amphibians are bluffing.  They may not know it - but they're just about harmless.  Amphibians aren't really born poisonous - they accumulate their toxins from the invertebrates that they eat.  In the case of poison dart frogs, for instance, it comes from ants.  Feed an amphibian a zoo-based diet of crickets, or fruit flies, or blackworms, or what have you, it has no toxins - or at least its toxins are greatly reduced.

None of which is meant to encourage you to pick up every captive-bred amphibian and hug it and kiss it and what have you.  For one thing, there still may be some toxic material in the skin - just not as potent as it might be in a wild individual.  Secondly, and (from the newt's perspective) more importantly, amphibians have moist, delicate skin, which they breathe through and absorb chemicals through.  Handling can be dangerous for them, whether its through the tearing of their fragile skin or soaking up the oils in your hands.  

Wild born or zoo bred, it's always best to give amphibians a little bit of space when admiring them - for their benefit as well as for yours.