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Newt seen in February |
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Cowmando
New Member Joined: 20 Feb 2015 Status: Offline Points: 3 |
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Posted: 20 Feb 2015 at 3:03am |
It seemed remarkable to see a newt walking around in February so I thought I would find somewhere to report it, as it might be of interest to someone. I think it was a female smooth newt but I don't know enough to be certain and didn't want to disturb it by getting really up close. Sighted in Clevedon, Somerset at around 02:30am on the 20th of February. I know it isn't uncommon for mammals to wake up for a brief feed during hibernation but I thought cold blooded animals stayed dormant until it started getting warmer. I am not aware of it having been an especially warm winter and all the information I can find suggests they should be dormant for at least another month. The only thing I can think of is maybe it got disturbed by a predator and is finding a new spot.
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GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
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Hi I saw my first smooth newt of the year pop up for air in our pond yesterday. For many years we have had them active on New Years Eve. If you take a look at the 'herp a day thread' you will see that Suzy has Palmate Newts active already.
The animals don't read the books, I've known some ponds where newts can be found all year round.
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