Great Crested Newts on the Northmoor Trust Estate
The Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus Laurenti, 1768) is the largest and most distinctive of the three native newts.
Females, which are slightly larger than males, can reach up to 170 mm in length. They are characteristically very dark, almost black, in colour, and are rather reminiscent of miniature dinosaurs. During the breeding season (March to June), males develop a large and jagged crest along their back and tail. They have a distinctive bright orange belly spotted with large black blotches. This 'belly pattern' is unique to each individual newt, rather like a human's fingerprint, and can be used to recognise individuals.
Although widespread across Britain, Great Crested Newts tend to be localised and their numbers are declining in many areas. This is mainly due to habitat loss, such as the infilling of ponds and development surrounding habitats. However, they are particularly sensitive to even slight changes in habitat conditions. For this reason the animals, and their sites, are 'strictly protected' under both British and European Law, including full protection under schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981).
Like all amphibians, the Great Crested Newts need both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. They prefer large, well-established ponds, with circum-neutral, relatively nutrient-rich water. The larvae are particularly vulnerable to fish predation. Terrestrial habitat usually consists of rough grassland, scrub, and woodland. Of the British amphibians, Great Crested Newts spend the largest proportion of their life on dry land, and it is essentially that both terrestrial and aquatic habitats are considered if this species is to be conserved.
They spend the autumn and winter on land, feeding and hibernating, and in the spring, they migrate back to the ponds to breed. The larvae can take a couple of months to develop, eventually metamorphosing into the adult form, and leaving the pond in late summer. In general males mature at 2 to 3 years of age, females a year later, depending on food availability and other environmental conditions. Great Crested Newts, like many amphibians, are long lived. Although the average life span is just seven years, some individuals in the wild are known to be at least 14 years old.
The Northmoor Trust has been studying the ecology of the great crested newt since the late 1980s.
