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Colour-blind Newts?: |
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Mark T Member Joined: 27 Apr 2006 No. of posts: 7  View other posts by Mark T |
Posted: 11 May 2006 Can anyone tell me if Palmate, Smooth and GC Newt are colour-blind. I am involved in torch surveys to determine populations and wondered if a bit of red plastic (as used to watch other wildlife) would cause less disturbance than white light. Any other ideas would be great. Thanks |
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Caleb Forum Coordinator Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 448  View other posts by Caleb |
Posted: 15 May 2006 Apparently colour is important in mate recognition in some European newt species. I'm not sure exactly which species have been tested, but I'd be surprised if any of them were colour-blind. I've heard of people using red lights to watch nocturnal amphibians in captivity, so it seems likely that it would cause less disturbance in the field. Having said that, if you're just doing population counts, I don't think a quick torch flash disturbs them too much. If you want to watch them behaving naturally over a longer period of time, the red light might be the way to go. |
- Colour-blind Newts? |