Common Newt
Yesterday Embee was laying a few new patio slabs for my tubs of blueberry bushes to sit on and he had to lift some of the existing ones to level them. He suddenly called me as he had uncovered this tiny Newt (assuming that's what it is and I'm sure someone will put us right if it isn't)!
We don't have a pond and there only seemed to be one so we are not quite sure how it came to find our garden. After taking a photo I did a bit of research and hiding under slabs is apparently quite common. Before you wonder we were very careful when we put the slab back so hopefully it will be alright as newts are a partially protected species due to the dwindling numbers here in the UK.
posted by ChrisB @ 9:00 am
24 comments
24 Comments:
Ben would have loved to have seen that.
Beccy that's just what I thought and I bet Truan would have as well. I might just send him the photo.
I love your newt. I have been looking for online identification guides as you probably did (with no luck.)
mjd I did find some links by googling british newts and I can only think one of the neighbours must have a pond.
awesome creature. when the parents would clean out the well every couple of years, they'd pull out a couple for inspection. after that, i'm pretty sure they just put them back in. why mess with them? and there's always a couple of lizards hiding in their front porch, but you rarely see them. got to be the right temperature and right time of year i guess, and just to be lucky. they dont stay out long with people there, but you can get close enough to see their little blue stripes. i love animals that aren't poisonous or attack-prone.
Chris, it's a common newt. It's the Great Crested that are seriously protected.
EEEKKK! Nothing like moving a rock and something moves under it. Looks like a creepy crawler to me.
"It's so cute" (I say that while slowly backing away in case it decides to jump on me)
Nathalie would like to see this.She likes animals but that´s nothing for me ;O)!
I'm not very good with reptiles.... but fascinating nevertheless. I didn't realise they were protected. Tricky job putting the salb back then!
lil mouse I htink it was more scared of us than we were of it!
john yes, from my research apparently the Great Crested numbers are really low I think they became protected in 1981.
swampy it was fascinating because we were so surprised to find it.
karmyn I was far too busy grabbing the camera to think of that!
steffi Nathalie is curious like my grandchildren!
sally these common ones are not truely protected in the same way as the great crested newts but I gather that it's more of a voluntary thing where people are encouraged to protect/create their habitat.
Did you check to see if it still had it's eyes? You can get a lot of money for them at your local coven.
WT and there was me thinking you were kind to animals!!
Isn't he a little beauty?
My boys would have kept him as a pet.
So why are they endangered. Global warming perhaps?
We had loads of geckos out in the middle east --- they used to come into the house all the time. We had no ponds. From my understanding - they thrive in dry areas. But maybe this is a slightly different little creature - despite it looking almost identical.
Newt or oldt he's a cutie. We had Norhtern Fence Lizrds in Missouri and Anoles in Texas. I miss the lizard families up here.
The meme you tagged me with is done and up!
Barbara I believe it's because their natural habitat is being lost to urban development.
Kila as kids growing up in the country that's what we would have done. Thanks for playing along with the meme :)
TLG Newts like damp and I tend to think of them being more in the country but clearly I'm wrong.
Lisa'schaos its quite unusual here in the city and this is the first time we have seen one in our garden and
My boys would have loved to see this?
Many years ago a relic of the war was a stagnant water tank about 10 metres across and 1.25 Metres deep. It had a magnificent lot of newts in which were easy to catch. My sister brought home quite a few and put them in a watering can. One climbed up the spout and scared my mother into small pieces!
As to what happened to this one I very carefully put it back where i found it where there was a little hollow which you can just make out in the Photo and then relaid the slab. I shall not lift it again just to check.
aww, isn't it cute! i love newts and lizards and geckos (but not the gecko in that stupid commercial) :-)
cute newt
almost ryhmes
That is so cool! I have "Five-lined Skinks" in and around my flower beds!They are so scared and fast I can never get a photo!!!
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