Can you help this amazing amphibian survive in Cambridgeshire ponds?
Great Crested Newts may be found throughout Cambridgeshire but are most frequent on clay soils, which includes the southwest part of Peterborough, most of Huntingdon District, the clay area of South and East Cambridgeshire, and a few fen islands such as Ely and Little Downham.
This is the largest of our three native newts, growing to about 15cm long (a Common Newt is only 2/3 this size). Great Crested Newts are dark, often black, patterned with small white spots and orange bellies. Males develop a high serrated crest during the breeding season and have a white flash running along their tails.
Male and female Great Crested Male and Female Smooth Newts
January/February - Some newts emerge from their winter shelters on land and return to ponds
March/April - Major newt migrations to breeding ponds. Courtship begins.
May - Females lay several hundred individual eggs on pond weed or other submerged plants. The eggs are less than 0.5cm across, with yellow centres.
June/July - In water the newts are eating water lice, water shrimps and other small creatures. Last egg laying takes place, although some tadpoles already have well developed legs. Young newt tadpoles swim in the open and are very vulnerable to predation.
August - Newts begin to leave the pond and search for worms and other food on land.
September/October - Most newts will have left the pond by October, but some juveniles will over winter in the pond until the spring. Newts can travel up to 500 metres in search of somewhere to spend winter.
November/December - Newts hibernate in sheltered, damp, frost free places (sometimes in hedges, under paving slabs or in log piles).
A leaflet about Great Crested Newts is available to download here.
Cambridgeshire's Biodiversity Partnership promotes the importance of conserving our species and habitats. Cambridgeshire Local Authorities, Natural England, the RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts and Anglain Water are all members of this Partnership. Biodiversity is described as the "WOW" factor - the Wealth Of Wildlife that surrounds us all.
The Biodiversity Partnership is preparing Biodiversity Action Plans for our species and habitats in Cambridgeshire. These plans include actions agreed to be undertaken by organisations to help preserve our wildlife. The plan for the Great Crested Newt will help to focus everyone on various actions to help the Newt to survive in Cambridgeshire.
What are other organisations doing?
Make sure you play your part in helping the amphibians and reptiles of Cambridge. Look at our survey page for details on how to get involved.