WILDLIFE


Born survivor


Around for a million years, adapted to land and sea, and with remarkable regenerative powers, the newt is a creature like no other


WORDS POLLY PULLAR


Image: With its rough, scaly skin, the great crested newt is also known as the warty newt.


lived. They also have an extraordinary ability to regenerate various parts of their body, if required. With their long fi ngers and toes, they seem weirdly prehensile; and, as every country child knows, also go through a dramatic metamorphosis. There are three species of newt in Scotland:


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the smooth, the palmate and the great crested. The palmate is the commonest type found here. During the breeding season male palmates develop enlarged feet, like the palms of a hand. They also develop a distinctive fi lament on the tail. Smooth newts go through a change at breeding time too, developing a crest. The largest and rarest of the trio is the beautiful great crested newt, which can grow


148 WWW.SCOTTISHFIELD.CO.UK


have long been fascinated by newts. If they survive the attentions of their many predators, they may be fairly long-


to 16cm in length. It is also called the warty newt thanks to its rough skin. Like the toad, it can secrete toxins to help ward off predators. A Victorian naturalist was brave enough to put one in her mouth as an experiment. It made her froth at the mouth and induced minor convulsions, but she lived to tell the tale. Great crested newts are inconspicuous,


which perhaps explains how the species has managed to survive for millions of years in an unaltered state. During the breeding season, the males look particularly spectacular, turning into mini dragons with impressive jagged crests on both back and tail, and a vibrant orange belly punctuated with dapper black spots. The females share the belly colours but do


not sport the crests. Their breeding display is equally impressive but is seldom seen,


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