Dead newt in pond - should I be concerned?

[werdnal]

We've had newts in our pond regularly for years now, but today I was clearing out some duckweed which has started to take over in the recent sunny weather, and found a dead newt. It floated away from me and then sank to the bottom of the pond, out of my reach, so I hope it isn't diseased. Looked around and saw a live newt too, so maybe it was just old age or something else that killed it.

Should I try to retrieve the dead one or leave it as food with the other wildlife in the pond? Are there viruses around that affect newts, similar to the frog diseases?

[Dogghound]

I wouldnt worry to much about 1 dead newt. It will not affect the water quality in a normal pond. If you start to find lots of dead newts then you should start to worry and take action. Newts do get diseases and are prone to fungal and bacterial infections like other amphibians. One newt could be an internal problem, predation, complication with breeding, old age, disease the list is endless.

[GCN lova]

hmm.. they're also affected by water temperatures. if they're to hot they die. but i dont think that's the problem and it may be that a predator dropped it in the pond after catching it and injuring it.

hope it helps,
GCN lova