Marbled Newt
Encyclopedia
The Marbled Newt is a mainly terrestrial newt
native to Europe
.
that runs from its neck down to the tip of its tail, but is a little bit shorter were the tail meets the body. The crest is striped yellowish-white with black. Adult Marbled Newts are from 5 inches (12.7 cm) to 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) long.
, and northern Spain
west to the top third of Portugal. They have a slight overlap with the Pygmy Marbled Newt (T. pygmaeus), which take over southern Spain. Marbled Newts are absent from a lot of the Pyrenees
because of dry and unstable conditions. In northern France the populations are more scattered due to the presence of the Great Crested Newt
(t. cristatus), which the Marbled Newt hybridizes with to some extent. The higher elevation Mediterranean climates are the preferred habitat of Marbled Newts, and in the overlap, T. pygmaeus takes the lower elevations.
Newt
A newt is an aquatic amphibian of the family Salamandridae, although not all aquatic salamanders are considered newts. Newts are classified in the subfamily Pleurodelinae of the family Salamandridae, and are found in North America, Europe and Asia...
native to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Physical description
Marbled newts have dark brown or black bodies with irregular patterns of green. They have black bellies with off-white specks. Adult females have an orange stripe running down the back from the head to the tip of the tail. Juveniles also have this stripe, but it fades on males at about 9 months. Breeding males have a large wavy crestSagittal crest
A sagittal crest is a ridge of bone running lengthwise along the midline of the top of the skull of many mammalian and reptilian skulls, among others....
that runs from its neck down to the tip of its tail, but is a little bit shorter were the tail meets the body. The crest is striped yellowish-white with black. Adult Marbled Newts are from 5 inches (12.7 cm) to 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) long.
Range and habitat
Marbled newts live throughout most of FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and northern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
west to the top third of Portugal. They have a slight overlap with the Pygmy Marbled Newt (T. pygmaeus), which take over southern Spain. Marbled Newts are absent from a lot of the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
because of dry and unstable conditions. In northern France the populations are more scattered due to the presence of the Great Crested Newt
Great Crested Newt
The Great Crested Newt, also called Northern Crested Newt or Warty Newt is a newt in the family Salamandridae, found across Europe and parts of Asia.-Distribution:...
(t. cristatus), which the Marbled Newt hybridizes with to some extent. The higher elevation Mediterranean climates are the preferred habitat of Marbled Newts, and in the overlap, T. pygmaeus takes the lower elevations.
Breeding
Studies have found that Marbled Newts use the stars to orient them on the way to their breeding pools.External links
- Triturus marmoratus at AmphibiaWeb
- Triturus marmoratus at Caudata Culture