Palmate Newt
colours
Description
The female has olive green or light brown skin with darker green speckles joining to form two lines on each side of it's spine. The male also has olive green skin covered in spots. Both male and female have orange bellies with a white border and a white, unspotted throat. The male is distinguished from the female by the presence of almost black, webbed back feet, a low smooth crest that runs down the back and a tail ending in a fine filament. These features are more prominent during the breeding season becoming less so when the newt is terrestrial.
Primary Image
Scientific Name
Triturus helveticus
Distribution
Throughout the U.K. and are absent from Ireland.
Life Span
Up to 10 years
Habitat
They prefer still, shallow water such as ponds. lakes or canals and when living out of water are found in gardens, heathland and moorland and sometimes in woods.
Length
90 - 100mm the female is slightly larger than the male.
Confusion Species
Reproduction
The males breeding display consists of him swimming in front of her and dropping a spermatophore (parcel of sperm), which the female, by careful positioning picks up in her cloaca (reproductive and kidney opening). Between February and May the female will then lay a few eggs each day, which she attaches to aquatic plants. She will lay between 100 and 200 eggs in total, which will hatch after 2-3 weeks and become air breathing juveniles after 6-9 weeks.
Also Known As
Diet
Behaviour
They hibernate for October until March usually under stones, in compost heaps or in the mud at the bottom of pools. On coming out of hibernation they will trek across land to reach breeding places. . During the breeding season they are active both night and day. They leave the water around June or July and will spend a few months on land before hibernating.
Status
Did You Know?
All newts in th U.K. are members of the Triturus genus, and are often known as tritons.