Another day…..Another Newt. Today, we are heading over to Europe to learn about the very interesting, Alpine Newt. Originally, this little salamander could only be found in Central Europe and the mountainous regions of Southern Europe; however, during the 1930’s someone thought it would be a great idea to introduce the Alpine Newt to southern England as well. This introduced population is doing well and is luckily not causing an issue with the native wildlife…..yet. So let’s grab our gear and head across the pond (unless you are already on that side of the ocean) to study the Alpine Newt.

Different Season – Different Colour

What makes the Alpine Newt so fascinating is their colouring, which is linked to their unique lifestyle. You see, this particular aquatic salamander is only aquatic during the mating season. At this time of the year the males will exhibit a beautiful blue colouring on their backs with black and white stippled sides and the amazing bright orange belly (remember when I said the Chinese Fire Belly Newt wasn’t the only one that had this feature?). Naturally, this bright colouring of the male is used to attract a romantic partner. The female on the other hand is a mottled brown colour camouflaging herself with the water. Once mating season is over, the Alpine Newts will head to land where their colours change back to a dark brown/black colour, which helps them blend into their new surroundings.

Diverse Habitats

As you might expect, the Alpine Newt generally prefers to live in mountainous or hilly regions that are well forested and have access to clean water. Now, I see why someone thought it would be a great idea to introduce them to England. During their terrestrial life stage this little newt can be found hiding in the undergrowth of the forest. Throughout the winter months they will lie dormant (smart little creatures) before emerging in the spring and heading straight to the clean, cool waterbodies for mating season.

Importance of Ecosystems

It is nice to see that the Alpine Newt utilizes every possible feature of their habitat. I guess this just goes to show the importance that the overall ecosystem has on an animal species. What would happen to this salamander if the forest undergrowth was removed? What about if the ponds and streams were polluted and destroyed? We may not always realize that destroying a forest would impact an aquatic salamander but that is the beauty of an ecosystem….everything is intertwined.