Smooth Newt

The smooth newt is among the most widespread and common newts in Europe, ranging from the British Isles across most of the continent and into parts of western Asia. It is olive-brown to gray above with a paler, spotted underside, and breeding males develop a low, continuously wavy crest running from head to tail along with a spotted throat that females lack. It breeds in a wide variety of still-water habitats, including garden ponds, ditches, and temporary pools, and spends the non-breeding months on land sheltering under logs, stones, and leaf litter, often some distance from water. Its broad tolerance of different pond types and its ability to persist even in small, disturbed, or artificial water bodies has helped keep it common where many other amphibians have declined.