Newts

Male smooth newt on land.

We have a thriving smooth newt Triturus vulgaris population, mainly occupying one of our smaller ponds only 8 foot(2.44m) by 3 foot(0.91m) in size and about 1 foot 3 inches(38cm) deep. I should point out that these newts are by no means local in origin, although the species does inhabit our part of the world. The ancestors of our colony were collected about 5 years ago from the garden of some friends in Scotland, where they are present in large numbers. I must point out that it is always unwise to move wild creatures out of their native habitat and into another, unless you are absolutely sure of the following two conditions.

1. That they are in abundance at the place of collection and that the numbers taken are so small as to have no effect on the population as a whole.

2. That they do already occur locally to the place of introduction or have been present there in the past few decades.

We actually only introduced about 6 individuals and now have somewhere between 30 and 50. They spawn every year, laying eggs singularly around which the female wraps the leaves of pond plants to conceal them. The breeding season differs from frogs in that it seems to extend over as much as three months in some years. Occasionally we collect a few of the newly hatched newts and place them in a small fish tank in our kitchen window. From there we can observe them closely and study their development and feeding habits. They are voracious little creatures preying on anything that moves and is small enough for them to consume. The adults have the same appetite. I have seen a worm in wet weather trying to make it's way across the duckweed covering the pond surface only to be suddenly dragged below by a lurking newt.

Male smooth newt under water.

Immature  smooth newt, known as an eft, about 1 inch (2.5cm) long. This individual was photographed in early March and has overwintered in the pond and still possesses gills, although, as can be seen, all legs are developed. Quite often the later produced youngsters survive this way not having enough time to fully develop before the weather turns cold.

Male displaying to female, male is darker and to the right, notice also the heavier webbing on the rear toes. I never appreciated how difficult it was to photograph creatures below the surface. Our eyes and brain allow us to see through or past the surface reflections, the camera does not have that ability. I was just lucky with this one, enough shadow on the water to stop most of the reflection.

An eft just before losing it's gills photographed in the aquarium on our kitchen window. The only food added was tropical fish flakes, however the water did come from the pond and probably contained other small creatures which would have provided food.

This is one little fellow about to venture into the ever so big wide world, well a small pond in my garden to start with.