- 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.