During the spring, rough skinned newts (Taricha granulosa) travel to ponds to mate. While these newts are typically terrestrial, they undergo physical changes during this season to better adapted to the water - their rough skin becomes sleek and smooth and their tails become flattened for paddling (see https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/344582024). During mating, several males will often latch on to a female and jockey for the best position and right to mate, forming a mating ball as seen here.
