Overview
The great crested newt is our largest newt but also our rarest. Adult newts spend most of their time outside of water, living in thick vegetation, where they can rest undisturbed beneath rocks or wood piles during the day or when hibernating in the winter. This terrestrial life normally takes place within fairly close vicinity of water so that they may return there for breeding or to search for food such as other newts, insect larvae, tadpoles and worms.
During breeding season, males and females take to the water where mating takes place. This is done without direct contact as the males lay a sack of sperm (spermataphore) which is then ‘picked up’ by the females. The female then lays up to 300 eggs, a few each day, throughout March-July on the submerged leaves of aquatic vegetation. They will do their best not to lay eggs in the same water as fish since they will simply be gobbled up before they can reach adulthood.
Larval newts, or efts, live in their birth pond for around four months until they become air-breathing juveniles. During this time, they prey voraciously on tadpoles, worms and other aquatic invertebrates. Once grown, they can be quite long lived, with many individuals living for more than ten years.
Description
The great crested newt grows up to 15cm in length and has a dark, rough and warty body with specks of white running down the sides. Its underside is yellow or orange in colour and covered in black patches. Males are recognisable in Spring by the development of a ridged crest which runs the length of their back. A separate, smoother edged crest runs along their tail. Females lack the crest but are further distinguishable by a colourful yellow or orange strip running down their tail and lower back.
In The Garden
The great crested newt is a protected species and is not common in the UK after a decline in its natural habitat over the past sixty years. If you can provide places for them to shelter, like log piles or rockeries, you may attract adults but the best way is to add a pond. Without this, you are only likely to see these newts if there are suitable breeding grounds nearby. Ponds which are free of fish are far more likely to entice these newts as their young will have a much better chance of survival. Since this is a protected species, you must be very careful not to disturb or alarm it during observation.
Did You Know?
The great crested newt is also known as the warty newt or northern crested newt.