Alternative Name
Triturus vulgaris
Basic Info
Females and non-breeding males are pale brown or olive green, often with two darker stripes on the back. Both sexes have an orange belly, although it is paler in females, which is covered in rounded black spots. They also have a pale throat with conspicuous spots. This helps to distinguish them from palmate newts that have pale unspotted throats, and with which they are often confused. When on land they have velvety skin. During the breeding season, male smooth newts develop a continuous wavy (rather than jagged) crest that runs from their head to their tail, and their spotted markings become more apparent. They are also distinguishable from females by their fringed toes.
Health
They are nocturnal and spend the day hiding under large stones or compost heaps. Adult newts shed their skin as often as once a week. They emerge from hibernation in February or March, when the temperature is above 0 degrees Celsius and conditions are moist, and head for the breeding sites. They return to land in late July. They are one of the most terrestrial of the newts in Europe. As the grow, smooth newts shed their skin once a week.
Habitat
They are one of the commonest amphibians in Europe, but are absent from Iberia, southern France, southern Italy and most Mediterranean islands. They are also found in Russia and western Asia.
Behavior
They are nocturnal and spend the day hiding under large stones or compost heaps. Adult newts shed their skin as often as once a week. They emerge from hibernation in February or March, when the temperature is above 0 degrees Celsius and conditions are moist, and head for the breeding sites. They return to land in late July. They are one of the most terrestrial of the newts in Europe. As the grow, smooth newts shed their skin once a week.
Origin
They are one of the commonest amphibians in Europe, but are absent from Iberia, southern France, southern Italy and most Mediterranean islands. They are also found in Russia and western Asia.
History
The Smooth Newt, also known as the Common NewtTriturus vulgaris, or Lissotriton vulgaris is the most common newt species of the Triturus genus of amphibians. It is found throughout Europe except the far north, areas of Southern France, and the Iberian peninsula.
Common Foods
They eat anything alive and moving which they can fit in their mouths such as insects.
