The great crested newt is Britain's largest newt growing up to 17cm long. They have dark grey/brown backs with darker coloured spots and bright yellow/orange undersides. The males have a jagged crest that runs along their backs and a silvery stripe along their tail.
Great crested newts preferred breeding habitat is weedy ponds and small lakes although they rely on terrestrial habitats for much of their life, particularly hedgerows and scrub.
Newts can live for up to 27 years! They are nocturnal and spend their days hiding in burrows or under logs, stones and vegetation. Great crested newts hibernate between October and February.
Carnivore - Newt larvae (tadpoles) usually eat other tadpoles, worms, insects and insect larvae. The adults eat other newts, tadpoles, young frogs, worms, insect larvae and water snails.
Although quite widespread in the UK, great crested newts have suffered significant declines here and in the rest of Europe. As a result they are specially protected and government licences are required to survey, disturb or catch them.
Newts can be threatened by the loss of scrub and hedgerows. Conservation action aims to safeguard existing breeding sites and link separate colonies by improving the quality of habitat between them.