Tuesday 15 March 2011

Smooth or Palmate Newt?

Two very similar species but how do you tell them apart. The males in the breeding season are easy but what about females or out of season males?
Note the spotted and speckled chin on this Smooth Newt, a Palmate Newt's chin would be spotless, this is the most obvious difference. Male Smooth Newts have a much more developed wavy crest on their backs in the breeding season and no tail filament, they have a rounder body than Palmate Newts, which appear square in cross-section

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