Granddad’s Camera
Smooth newt, as it appears in the game

No.207 · Amphibians · Uncommon

Smooth newt

Lissotriton vulgaris

Britain's commonest newt: a small, spotted, olive-brown amphibian that colonises garden ponds. In spring the male grows a wavy crest and an orange belly.

When to look

March to July, mostly at dusk and night.

Time of day

Best time
Spring in the pond (March–June), especially at dusk. Rest of the year under logs and stones.
Where in the game
Millbrook (pond and garden)
Size
Up to about 10 cm long (Froglife); 7–11 cm typical range from other UK sources
Status
Common and widespread throughout the UK (Froglife)

Diet

A wide variety of invertebrates; adults also eat frog tadpoles in spring.

Habitat

Garden ponds, ditches and ponds; shelters under rocks, logs, compost heaps or in mud on land. Quick to colonise new garden ponds.

Breeding

Emerge from overwintering sites in early spring; males perform courtship displays; eggs laid March–June, hatching two to four weeks later depending on weather.

Field signs

  • Small olive-brown newt with dark spots; males have a wavy crest in spring
  • Females lay single eggs, each wrapped in a folded pond-plant leaf
  • Head appears at the surface to gulp air, then dives

Did you know?

  • Newts don't hibernate as such; they shelter under rocks, logs or mud and may come out in mild spells (Froglife).
  • In spring the male performs a courtship dance for the female (Froglife).
  • The female folds each egg inside a leaf of a water plant, so plants such as water forget-me-not are needed.

Moments worth waiting for

  • Courtship dance March to May, dusk and night
    A crested male faces a female and fans his tail, quivering, in the shallows.

Photo tip

Look at dusk with a red torch and polarising filter to cut glare. Lie down at pond level, shoot through clear water and keep still.

Be a good naturalist

Never move newts or spawn between ponds. Great crested newts also live in some Midlands ponds: they are strictly protected (disturbance is a criminal offence). Do not stock fish.

The law

Protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 against sale and trade of wild animals. Great crested newts have full legal protection: never handle or disturb them.

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