Young Taricha Courting

[hayden]

Im not sure of the exact age of my taricha. Dawn hasnt emailed me back yet. But, my newts have been amplexing and I didnt think they were even a year old. I thought maybe it was just one newt grabbing another but the one on top was rubbing the others nose with his chin/neck. That newt was also flicking the others Cloaca with his back legs. I thought they were supposed to be mature after 3-5 years.

 

[pin-pin]

Hey Hayden, congrats.

Petranka has listed Taricha species to take more than three years to sexually mature, but in captivity with plenty of food and no predators, they can reach sexual maturity much faster.

However, don't expect eggs just because the Tarichas are having some fun. They're probably just practicing for next year. (Although if you do get viable eggs, share the good news.)

 

[liz]

Hayden, do any of them have a swollen cloaca? That might indicate a male that is ready to breed. I think its harder to tell with the females. Like Pin-Pin said, they could develop more quickly in captivity. I have some that are 4 or so and they are just starting to breed for the first time, but they are smaller than wild breeding adults.

I'll try to get a picture of the males to show you the swollen cloaca. They don't look quite like the wild males, the secondary sexual characters (tail fin, smooth skin) are not as pronounced.

 

[liz]

these are not the best pictures, but here goes...

a male cloaca

a female cloaca