Amphibian · GBIF taxon 2431885
Great Crested Newt
Triturus cristatusAlso known as Northern Crested Newt, Warty Newt
Great crested newts spend the spring breeding season in unpolluted ponds, where males perform elaborate underwater courtship displays by fanning their tails and flexing their prominent dorsal crests. Each egg is individually wrapped in the leaf of a submerged water plant by the female to protect it from predators. Outside the breeding period, adults migrate to nearby woodlands, hedgerows, and rough grassland to forage for invertebrates under cover of darkness.
AmphibianNocturnalPond Life
Licensed referenceRainer Theuer. / Public domain · cc0
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Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Water Snails
- Frog Tadpoles
- Earthworms
Predators
- Grass Snake
- Grey Heron
- Large Fish
ThreatsPond infilling, agricultural intensification, invasive fish, habitat fragmentation
HabitatsClean ponds, ditches, deciduous woodland, scrub, rough grassland
Life span10–15 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilySalamandridae
- SpeciesTriturus cristatus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
- What to notice
- Look for large size, dark bumpy skin, yellow to orange spotted belly, and a jagged dorsal crest on males.
- Support conservation
- Observe from pond banks without disturbing water plants, and never attempt to handle without official permits.
Responsible observation
- Night Observation: Scan pond margins with a torch on warm, still spring nights when courtship is most active.
- Legal Protection: Refrain from capturing or disturbing them, as strict wildlife laws protect adults and eggs in Europe.
- Biosecurity Practice: Clean and dry footwear between visits to different water bodies to prevent spreading pathogens.
Frequent Companion Kristian Peters / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Competitor Gilles San Martin from Namur, Belgium / CC BY-SA 2.0 · cc-by-sa
Frequent Companion Unknown / CC-BY · cc-by
Predator Charles J. Sharp / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative
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