Hampshire and the Isle of Wight is home to all three native newt species: the Smooth Newt (Lissotriton vulgaris), the Palmate Newt (Lissotriton helveticus), and the Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus). Most people believe newts live their lives in and around ponds, but in truth they spend a large part of their lives on land, in hedgerows, woodland and scrubby habitats, only returning to ponds to breed in late winter and spring. They can travel up to 1km from the breeding pond, but on average will range from 250-500 metres from their pond. Newts feed on a wide variety of invertebrates in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats.
Smooth Newt: Often referred to nationally as the common newt, these newts are widespread across the UK. They have brown/olive skin with spotty, orange bellies. During the breeding season, males develop a low crest from their neck to the tip of their tail. They can grow up to 10 cm long and are the species most often found in garden ponds.
Palmate Newt: Similar in appearance to the smooth newt, male palmate newts can be distinguished by the black webbing on their hind feet during breeding season. They prefer shallower ponds and can often be found in just a few centimetres of water in ditches, tyre ruts and marshy areas. They are also widespread across the UK, and are often the most common newt in the New Forest and north east corner of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. These are the UK’s smallest newts, reaching up to 9 cm in length.
Great Crested Newt: This is the largest of our three newts. Great crested newts can grow up to 17 cm long. They have dark, warty skin, with white flecking on their jaw and lower edge of their sides and have bright orange bellies with large, blotchy dark spots. During the breeding season, males sport a jagged crest along their backs from their neck to the base of their tail. Males also have a large leaf-like tail with a white/silver flash. Outside of the breeding season the males crest is absorbed and their tail is similar to the females. Although great crested newts are almost as widespread as the other two newt species, they are much more localised and restricted to open bodies of water, with no fish. Great crested newts are the only species of newt with legal protection due to their declining distribution. Often in online conversations, you may see great crested newts referred to as “GCN”.
Breeding: All three newt species have a similar breeding cycle. When the temperature begins to rise at the start of the year, adult newts will emerge from hibernation and will make their way to the breeding pond and after a few days will start to develop their breeding colouration and features, such as the dark webbed feet of the male palmate, the feathery toes and low crest of the smooth newt and the tall jagged crest, leaf-like tail and silver flash of the male great crested newt.
Unlike frogs and toads, newts have a specific courtship ritual, where the male newt will “dance” for the female newt, by placing himself side on, in front of the female. He will arch his back displaying his crest and rapidly fans his tail towards the female, wafting his scent in her direction. If she is interested she will move towards him and may nudge his side. The male lays a small sperm sac and leads the female forward over the sac which she picks up in her reproductive organ. She stores the sac ready to fertilise her eggs when she lays them.
Newt eggs are laid singularly, covered in a layer of jelly and the female newt uses her back legs to fold a leaf in half, around each egg to help protect them from predators. Palmate and smooth newt eggs are impossible to tell apart as they are a similar tan colour and roughly 3mm in diameter. GCN eggs are larger at approximately 5mm and a white/pale colour with a hint of yellow or green. A female newt will lay between 150 to 300 eggs over a period between several days to several weeks.
The eggs hatch after two to three weeks and the young newts look like small fish fry to begin with. In their aquatic phase young newts are called larvae as singular or larva as plural. They have external feathery gills to absorb oxygen from the water and begin feeding on tiny aquatic invertebrates such as small water fleas. The larva will steadily grow over the next two to three months and when ready to change to a terrestrial phase of their life, will absorb their gills and leave the pond. This stage is often referred to as a juvenile or eft. They will mature into adults over the next two to three years.
Non-native newts in Hampshire: There are several non-native newt species in the UK, but we are only aware of the presence of the Alpine Newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris) in Hampshire. These are all escapees from pet collections, but have established breeding populations in at least one area. HIWARG are always keen to be notified of the presence of non native amphibians as they can be hosts to amphibian diseases, such as Chtridiomycosis which has caused significant declines, or even extinctions of more than 200 species of amphibians across the world.
Male Alpine newts are easier to identify due to their more distinctive features. They have a smooth, dark brown to black skin on their back, a vibrant orange belly that that can either be speckled with dark spots, or unspotted. They also have a pale blue stripe running along their sides. During the breeding season, males develop a low, stripy crest/ridge along their back and tail, which is less pronounced compared to other newt species.
If you spot any Alpine newts, please record them on recordpool.org.uk and contact us.
