Smooth or Common Newt - Triturus vulgaris - Native

Identification

Tailed Amphibian-Smooth velvety skin

Dorsal surface and flanks, Females - light brown colouration with darker spots or speckles.

Males - brown/olive green or tan with black spots

Ventral surface, creamy yellow or orange, black spotting on the belly.

The throat is creamy white and lighter than the belly, usually spotted or speckled.

Length: 10 - 11 cm.

Sexing

Males are smaller than females, during the breeding season they develop a wavy crest; continuous from head to tail. Males also have fringing on the hind toes at this time

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 Smooth Newt from those of the Palmate Newt in the field.

What else could it be?

It can be very difficult to distinguish the Smooth Newt from the Palmate Newt (Triturus helveticus). Male smooth newts have a much more developed wavy dorsal crest in the breeding season. Females are particularly difficult to tell apart, similiar in size, the best pointer is the darker spotting or speckling on the throats of Smooth Newts.

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 Smooth Newt?

The Smooth or Common Newt as it is also known, has the widest distribution of our native newts. They emerge from hibernation in March, they breed through to May and generally the adult newts leave the water in July.

They spend the rest of the summer and winter very close to the breeding pond, hiding in leaf litter, long grass and under stones. This is known as the "terrestrial stage", the males absorb their crests and become more drab in appearance. The newts come out to feed after dark on small invertebrates as they prepare for hibernation in late September.

These newts are very likely to make use of garden ponds and will be most often seen during the aquatic stage, when they will rise to the surface of the pond to gulp air.