# @usgs on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc35ZmptVG9
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/69960502-usgs-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/1dc1ee64d4.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-09-04T17:15:00.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (@USGS) — https://gondola.cc/USGS

## Caption

Wildlife comes in all shapes, sizes and…gymnastic abilities. 🤸‍♂️ 

For National Wildlife Day, we’re highlighting this rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa) from the Pacific Northwest. 

Rough-skinned newts are known for their bright orange bellies and their ability to produce a powerful toxin that helps protect them from predators. They also have some unusual behaviors, including this defensive posture known as an “unkenreflex.” 

We’re not sure what this move is called in the gymnastics world, but we’re impressed! 

From amphibians to mammals, wildlife has evolved a wide range of adaptations and behaviors that help animals survive in their environments. USGS science is used by managers, policy makers, and others for decisions that conserve and enhance healthy fish and wildlife populations across the U.S. 

Learn more the USGS Species Management Research Program at the link in our bio. 

📸: Rough-skinned newt in defensive posture, EPA ponds, Corvallis, OR. Credit: Brome McCreary, USGS

 #NationalWildlifeDay

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## Tags

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