Amphibians · Caudata · Salamandridae

Palmate Newt

Lissotriton helveticus

Least Concern

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

It is the smallest newt native to Great Britain, and in the breeding season the male grows a distinctive filament at the tip of the tail and heavily webbed hind feet.

Size

5 cm – 9.5 cm

Lifespan

12 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 forestFreshwaterCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Amphibian Temperate forest Freshwater

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Fun facts

Those features disappear outside the breeding season.
It eats aquatic insects, worms, mosquito larvae and tadpoles in the water, and earthworms and small insects on land.
It lives in woodland, marsh, grassland and gardens of western Europe.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)
Habitat & environment: Woodland, marsh, grassland and gardens of western Europe, from Great Britain to northern Iberia
Birth weight: 8-14 mm long at hatching
Size at birth: 8-14 mm long at hatching
Sexual maturity: 2-3 years
Gestation / incubation: 8-21 days of egg incubation
Litter / clutch size: 150 to 440 eggs per female, laid singly on water plants

Sources consulted: JungleDragon; Wildlife Pond Aquarium; British Herping Wiki; Wikipedia (Palmate newt); The Animal Facts; Animalia.bio; ResearchGate (temperature fitness study)