Written by Paul Arestides, Transforming Lives Trainee
It’s in the name, great crested newts are the UK’s largest newt species. Adults can reach up to 17cm in length, with females growing larger than males. They are dark in colouration compared to other newt species and have bumpy skin with both males and females having bright orange bellies with large, blotchy dark spots. The males have a fantastic, jagged crest along their back and tail throughout the breeding season. Their tails also take on a white stripe towards the tip. The larvae have feathery gills around the head and a fine filament at the tip of their tail, they are covered in black speckles.
Great crested newts can be found across England, mainland Scotland and Wales but are absent from Ireland, the Isle of Man and some Scottish islands. Over the last few decades, the great crested newt population has declined and its range reducing due to loss of habitat and other ongoing pressures from farming practices. The species and its habitats are protected by law.
They are a ferocious predator of tadpoles, as well as aquatic and land invertebrates such as snails and worms. They also become predated by badgers, foxes, birds, hedgehogs and rats.
Like all amphibians, these newts take to the water to reproduce. The breeding season is between March and June. Males have an extravagant courtship display to win over females, by standing on their front legs, arching their back and waving their tail around as if they are dancing. Females then lay their eggs in pond plants, folding each leaf over the egg.
