Field Guide
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Smooth Newt
Lissotriton vulgaris
Not yet photographed by the community
UK's commonest newt; male has wavy crest in breeding season.
Species Profile
UK Biodiversity Action Plan species; protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; UK status is of Low Concern but locally declining due to pond loss.
- Lifespan
- 6–15 years in the wild, occasionally longer in captivity
- Size & Weight
- 7–11 cm body length; 2–4 g
- Habitat
- Breeding in ponds, ditches, and slow-moving water bodies; terrestrial in woodlands, hedgerows, and grassland during non-breeding season.
- UK Distribution
- Widespread throughout England, Wales, and southern Scotland; absent from Ireland and the far north of Scotland. Resident year-round.
- Diet
- Small aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates including insects, crustaceans, worms, and molluscs.
- Prey
- Aquatic larvae (mosquito, dragonfly), small crustaceans (Daphnia, copepods), earthworms, slugs, and small insects
- Predators
- Herons, cormorants, pike, perch, dragonfly nymphs, grass snakes, and occasionally foxes and badgers
- Mating Season
- March to June (peak April–May)
- Breeding
- Females lay 200–300 eggs individually on aquatic plants over several weeks; eggs hatch in 12–19 days depending on temperature; larvae metamorphose after 2–3 months.
- Behaviour
- Males develop prominent crests and spotted flanks during breeding season to attract females. Smooth newts are primarily nocturnal and spend winters hidden in log piles, under bark, or buried in mud. They are highly aquatic in spring and summer but become terrestrial in autumn.
- •The smooth newt is Britain's most common newt species and the only native newt found across the whole of mainland Britain
- •Males perform elaborate courtship dances in water, undulating their body and fanning their tail to display to females
- •Smooth newts can regenerate lost limbs, eyes, and even parts of the heart and spinal cord
- •They have permeable skin and absorb water directly, so they must remain near moisture to avoid desiccation
- •Smooth newts are indicators of good-quality freshwater habitat and are often used to monitor pond health and conservation success
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