Smooth Newt - Lissotriton vulgaris
Both sexes are about 10cm long and a pale brown colour with pale orange bellies, except in the breeding season when the male becomes darker and develops a wavy crest along the length of its body. It also has a brighter orange, or pink, underside.
The Smooth Newt can be distinguished from the similar Palmate Newt by its spotty throat, which is unspotted in the Palmate.
See our wildlife guide: Amphibians of Leicestershire and Rutland
Adult Smooth Newts emerge from hibernation on land from late February to May and head to fresh water to breed. They favour ponds and shallow lakesides.
April - November
This is the commonest of our three native newts and the one frequently found in garden ponds. Surprisingly, the adult does not live in water most of the year. After the breeding season they move onto land such as woodland, damp heath and marsh areas for the rest of the year, feeding on insects, worms and slugs. The female lays up to 400 eggs, each stuck individually to water plant leaves. The young look like miniature newts but have external gills.
Common and widespread.
Common in Leicestershire and Rutland.
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
Enter a town or village to see local records
MAP KEY:
Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015
UK Map
Species profile
- Common names
- Common Newt, Smooth Newt
- Species group:
- Amphibians
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
- Order:
- Caudata
- Family:
- Salamandridae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 391
- First record:
- 01/01/1975 (Anthony Squires)
- Last record:
- 09/02/2024 (Pochin, Christine)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
10km squares with records
The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.
In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.