Southern Crested Newt | |
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Conservation status | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Caudata |
Family: | Salamandridae |
Genus: | Triturus |
Species: | T. karelinii |
Binomial name | |
Triturus karelinii (Strauch, 1870) |
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Varieties | |
Triturus karelinii karelinii Triturus karelinii arntzeni |
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Synonyms | |
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The Southern Crested Newt (Triturus karelinii) is a terrestrial European newt. It is similar to the Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) except larger and more robust.
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Southern Crested Newts are brown to gray dorsaly, with darker patches scattered about. Their bellys and throats are orange, with small black dots. They get up to 7.1 inches, or 18 centimeters.[1] Males have a large jagged crest going from behind the neck down to their tails.
Southern Crested Newts live from Serbia east to the Caspian Sea, and south to central Turkey.[1]
The Southern Crested Newt lives in a variety of mountain habitats, including both broadleaf and coniferous forests, slopes and plateaus.[1]
With Southern Crested Newts sexual maturity is reached at 3 or 4 years. During the breeding season they are found in most sources of water such as swamps, lakes, stagnant ponds, ditches and temporary pools, and streams.[1] Males usually live to about 8, and females to 11 years old.[2]