Palmate Newt - Triturus helveticus - Native

Identification

Tailed Amphibian-Smooth velvety skin

Dorsal surface and flanks, Females - yellowish to olive brown, with dark freckling.

Males - Olive brown, spotted and marbled with darker colours which may fuse to form two lines along the back

Ventral surface, uniform creamy yellow or orange occasionally some brown spotting on the belly.

The throat is pure white or pinkish and rarely spotted.

Dark stripe passing through the eye on either side of the head

Length: The smallest of our native newts, 7-11 cm, in some populations the adults only reach 6.5 cm.

Sexing

Males are smaller than females and tend to have larger spots on the upper body, during the breeding season they develop a low, straight-edged crest on the back and a more developed crest on the tail. The male has a distinct filament at the end of the tail during this time and black "frills" on the hind feet. The females may have a very plump appearance in the aquatic stage due to un-deposited eggs.

Eggs

The female deposits her eggs individually on aquatic plants, carefully wrapping each egg in a leaf. It is impossible to distinguish the eggs of the Palmate Newt from those of the Smooth Newt in the field. The adults remain in the pond until July, the young newts or "efts" leave the pond during August/September.

What else could it be?

It can be very difficult to distinguish the Palmate Newt from the Smooth Newt (Triturus vulgaris). Smooth Newts tend to be larger, typically 8-11 cm in length. Male smooth newts have a much more developed wavy crest on their backs in the breeding season and no tail filament, they have a rounder body than Palmates Newts which appear square in cross-section. The most consistent difference is that Palmate newts usually do not have spotted or speckled throats.

The Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus), our only other native tailed amphibian, is a much larger creature at 15-18 cm. Very dark in appearance with distinctly warty skin.

Where will I see a Palmate Newt?

Palmate Newts will breed in very shallow pools and larger bodies of water, they are often found in the same ponds as the Smooth Newt (Triturus vulgaris). They are however more tolerant of acidic waters than the Smooth Newt. Often small garden ponds are used for breeding.

Palmate Newts emerge from hibernation in early March and the breeding season continues until late May. During July the adult newts leave the water, males absorbing their crests and tail filaments and becoming more drab in appearance. They are fully terrestrial during August and September, preparing for hibernation by feeding on worms and other small invertebrates. The Palmate Newt typically hibernates in deep leaf litter in late September.