Breeding and egg-laying may extend from fall through late spring depending on the locality. The number of eggs laid by a female in a single season is unknown. Adults consume the eggs of Ambystoma and Rana, but whether they compete with other amphibians for food or other resources is unknown. The eggs and the skin of both adults and aquatic larvae contain this toxin and are, therefore, protected from most predators. This may account for the diurnal behavior of newts compared to other California salamanders.
Water dogs eat trout eggs.
Brodie, E. D., Jr, J. L. Hensel, Jr., and J. A. Johnson. Cohen, N. W. 1952. Comparative rates of dehydration and hydration in some California salamanders. Davis, W. C., and V. C. Twitty. Kaplan, R. H., and P. W. Sherman.