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Where do newts come from?: |
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zooto68 Member Joined: 14 May 2004 No. of posts: 1  View other posts by zooto68 |
Posted: 14 May 2004 We have a pond in our garden that has recently acquired some newts. We have never had them before. Apart from the odd pond in other peoples gardens we are miles from the nearest pond. So where did they come from?? Are they able to walk for miles?? They are smooth newts i reckon (I have pics). |
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Chris Monk Senior Member Joined: 21 Apr 2004 No. of posts: 157 View other posts by Chris Monk |
Posted: 15 May 2004 Smooth newts are good colonisers and after common frogs are the most likely amphibian to be found in garden ponds (although in some areas of the country you will find palmate newts doing the same thing) They don't have to walk miles, as you say that there is the odd pond in other peoples gardens then that is almost certainly where they have come from. I have found smooth newts in very small water features, including a dozen in a shallow concrete pool no bigger than a kitchen sink set in a rockery as a bird bathing place, so there may be more water bodies containing newts in your neighbourhood than you suspect. Juveniles dispersing from a pond may have suddenly discovered your pond or it may be that at least one pair found your pond three or so years ago and laid their eggs and it is now the newly matured adults from that breeding that have turned up. Smooth newts should be able to colonise other garden ponds within a hundred metres quite easily and even further distances over a longer period of time but not from miles away without human assisted movement, which is not recommended. Derbyshire Amphibian & Reptile Group www.derbyshirearg.co.uk |
- Where do newts come from? |