great crested newt
Triturus cristatus

Largest and rarest of Britain's three newt species

Prefers still or slow-moving water with plenty of aquatic vegetation and dense cover nearby

Found across most of Europe but south-eastern Britain is its stronghold; legally protected

Usually darker and larger than common newts, with a warty skin and irregular dark blotches on their orange bellies; up to 14 cm

Adults leave the water in late summer after breeding to spend the rest of the year in cover nearby or hiding under stones or logs

Enter the water in late March or early April to breed; the female laying single eggs each of which is wrapped and sealed in a leaf

Tadpoles eat small aquatic animals such as daphnia, leaving the water as young newts in late summer or sometimes the next spring

Immature newts find somewhere cool and moist nearby and hole up for several years until they are big enough to breed