Smooth Newt - 16 October 2024

While on a walk late evening yesterday I was surprised to see this sight on a rock near a little pond. It was too dark to get a clearer photo but decided to have a go anyway. I’m surprised how good this came out considering the distance and time. It is really a record of what I saw : not a lizard but a newt. You can read information about the differences between newts and lizards here.

This newt or Lissotriton Vulgaris was a bit slow and it stayed immobile long enough for me to take that photo but I didn’t want to scare it so I didn't get any closer.

The You Tube video below gives a brief but clear description of a newt’s life cycle; from eggs to larvae to efts leaving the pond.

_{I would never handle an amphibian with my bare hands to avoid harming it.}

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One point the video makes probably best describes what I saw :

Later in summer and in autumn newts can be found sheltering on land under wood and rocks hunting slugs and insects.

In my personal opinion they can hunt as many slugs as they want.

Thank you for reading !