Amphibians · Caudata · Salamandridae

Alpine Newt

Ichthyosaura alpestris

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

In the breeding season the male grows a striking dorsal crest and vivid blue, orange and black colours to court the female with a ritual underwater dance.

Weight

1 g – 6 g

Size

7 cm – 12 cm

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestMountainFreshwaterCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Amphibian Temperate forest Mountain Freshwater

45countries 7parks13same family

Fun facts

The male grows a dorsal crest and vivid colours in the breeding season.
The female wraps each egg individually in the leaves of water plants.
It has established stable introduced populations in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)
Habitat & environment: Mountain woodland and meadow across much of continental Europe, moving to ponds and pools to breed; introduced to the United Kingdom and New Zealand
Birth weight: A tiny larva on hatching, each wrapped by the mother in the leaf of a water plant
Size at birth: A larva a few millimetres long on hatching, reaching as much as 5 cm before metamorphosis
Sexual maturity: 2-3 years
Gestation / incubation: 56-96 days of larval development after the egg hatches (3-5 days for that first hatching)
Litter / clutch size: 30 to 300 eggs a season, laid singly and wrapped in leaves

Sources consulted: Dimensions.com; ResearchGate (captive breeding hormonal stimulation study); Reptco care sheet; ResearchGate (age and size at maturity review); Animalia.bio; Wikipedia (Alpine newt)