referenced from a photo by GertJan Verspui
I focused on the physical attributes of the male in full courtship display – Mr. Fancypants here looks so good he’s frequently gathered to be a pet. Newts, particularly rare-ish ones like these, shouldn’t really be collected and don’t usually thrive in a tank anyway. If you see one in a pet shop or online – please don’t buy it!
The Northern Banded Newt (Ommatotriton ophryticus) lives around the southern edge of the Black Sea, mostly in Turkey. Populations are decreasing, and it’s threatened by habitat changes which include the introduction of cattle and agriculture to areas, which brings pesticides, the diversion of natural ponds and streams, and more raccoons. (Raccoons tend to settle where people do.) Apparently, raccoons find newts to be particularly tasty and in one example, 50% of the newts in one pond were decimated by raccoons in one season. Wow…
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