Smooth Newt

Lissotriton punctatus

The Smooth Newt is a gentle little swimmer with smooth skin. They love to soak in ponds and are great at catching food!

Habitat: Ponds and marshes

Appearance

The Smooth Newt is typically brown or olive-green with a paler, often yellow-orange, underside adorned with distinct dark spots. During breeding, males develop a prominent wavy crest along their back and tail, making them visually different from females and other newts.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAmphibiaOrderCaudataFamilySalamandridaeGenusLissotriton

Smooth Newt

Interesting facts

Each egg is carefully folded into a plant leaf underwater for protection!

Males 'dance' underwater during spring to attract a mate!

They can change their skin colour slightly to blend in with their surroundings!

They spend winters hibernating under logs, stones, or buried in soil!

Special abilities

Smooth Newt can regrow lost limbs, tails, jaws, and even eyes because of special stem cells that help them recover from injury.

Smooth Newt has mildly toxic skin secretions that helps them deter most predators from eating them.

Smooth Newt can breathe through its skin underwater because it's permeable, helping them absorb oxygen directly from water.

Smooth Newt larvae live in water with gills, but adults grow lungs and live on land, helping them adapt to different environments.

Measurements & details

Length: 8-11 cm
Weight: 0.001-0.005 kg
Lifespan: 2-6 years
Top Speed: 0.5 km/h
Clutch Size: 100-400
Metamorphosis: 60-120 days

Diet & Feeding

Tiny hunters, they feast on small creatures like insects and worms both on land and in water.

Age differences: Larvae eat tiny water creatures like zooplankton, while adults hunt larger insects and worms.

Primary Foods

insect larvae
earthworms
slugs
pond snails
water fleas

Foraging Method

Foraging

Ecological connections

eaten by

Grass Snake

Natrix helvetica

A common predator in their habitat.

eaten by

Blackbird

Turdus merula

Adult newts are sometimes preyed upon.

eats

Great Diving Beetle

Dytiscus marginalis

Larvae of newts are eaten by these beetles.

hunts

Earthworm

Lumbricus terrestris

A staple food for adult newts on land.

Traits

Wildlife

Step into the incredible world of wild animals and plants living freely in nature. From tiny insects to towering trees, it's all part of the wild wonders around us!

Webbed Feet

These animals have special feet with skin between their toes, which helps them swim super fast!

Insectivorous

Discover clever creatures that specialize in munching on insects, playing a super important role in keeping bug populations in check. They are nature's tiny bug vacuums!