Many newts produce toxins from skin glands as a defense against predation, but the toxins of the genus Taricha are particularly potent. The toxin isn't absorbed through the skin so humans should be able to handle the newts safely with bare hands. Toxicity is generally experienced only if the newt is ingested. On a dare, a 29-year-old man in Oregon swallowed a 20-cm rough-skinned newt and died in July 1979.