Common Newt Life Cycle
The common newt is an amphibian, and like all amphibians, divides its time between water and land. It inhabits most of Europe, and prefers forestland, gardens, parks and wet meadows. This primarily nocturnal, smooth-skinned, spotted creature enjoys moving about in the rain, or just after it has rained, eating slugs, snails, insects and worms.
Other People Are Reading
-
Mating
-
In cooler climates, common newts hibernate during the winter, tucking themselves away inside rotting stumps, logs and underground burrows. When they emerge again in the spring, they head for water and are ready to find a mate.
Changing Appearance
-
Both male and female common newts are spotted and smooth-skinned, but prior to mating, the male develops a rather showy crest along its back and a fringe of skin on its toes. Before depositing its packet of sperm, the male goes through an elaborate mating dance in which he vibrates his tail, occasionally slapping it against his body for effect. The female picks up the sperm packet and uses it to fertilize her eggs.
-
Laying and Hatching Eggs
-
The female common newt lays about 300 eggs, a few at a time, in the folded leaves of aquatic plants. Tadpole larvae, referred to as efts, begin to emerge from the eggs in about 20 days. Their gills look quite feathery during the first stage in a complicated metamorphosis that takes up to 10 weeks to complete.
Adults
-
After the juvenile newts have reached adulthood, they embark on their "terrestrial" life, and leave the water for land. They busy themselves looking for food and hiding in leaf litter from predators. In late fall, adult males lose their crest, absorbing it back into their bodies.
Size
-
An adult common newt reaches about four inches in length, and females are generally larger than males. While both males and females are spotted, a female's coloration isn't quite as vibrant as a male's. Young newts will begin breeding about two to three years after they have left the water.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Creative Commons Photo by André Karwath
