|
|
Great crested newts are widely distributed
throughout Britain but this distribution is extremely patchy; they’re absent from Ireland and have
disappeared from many sites across Europe. They are the largest
of our native newt species and have ‘warty’ looking skin. During
the breeding season males develop a jagged crest which has a
break at the base of the tail and females take on a ‘bulky’
appearance.
adults can grow to 15cm (nose to tail)
the back is usually dark brown or black, the belly is orange.
irregular black blotches cover the orange belly and there may be
white tips to the ‘warts’ along the sides; males have a white
flash at the base of the tail and females a yellow or orange
one.
widespread but patchy; great crested newts full legal protection
under UK law making it an offence to kill, injure, capture,
disturb or sell them or to damage or destroy their habitats.
Individual eggs are laid and wrapped up in the leaves of pond
plants, during spring (usually around April). Depending on local
weather conditions, two to four weeks later larvae (sometimes
called newt tadpoles) will hatch out. The larvae have
feathery gills around the head, distinguishing them from frog
and toad tadpoles; they have a mottled appearance and a tiny
filament at the end of the tail. A couple of months after they
hatch the larvae start to grow their front legs (again,
different from frogs and toads), followed by the back legs. They
leave the water as newtlets (or efts), usually in summer.
Great crested newts spend the winter sheltering under rocks, in
compost heaps or buried down in mud. They don’t hibernate as
such, and may take advantage of milder patches of weather to
come out and forage.
Adult newts emerge from their overwintering sites in early
spring and head to a pond to breed. Males perform an elaborate
courtship dance before the eggs are laid. At this time of year
adult newts spend quite a lot of time in the water and will hunt
frog tadpoles. Later in the summer they can be found sheltering
under wood, rocks and paving slabs.
Loss of ponds and intensification of agriculture.
The Great Crested Newt Conservation Handbook.
>>>
|