Pygmy Marbled Newt

Pygmy Marbled Newt

Triturus pygmaeus

Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic

LCNTNear ThreatenedVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Doñana National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

17 Verified sightings at Doñana National Park From 2019 to 2026
226 In all 3 parks
April Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Pygmy Marbled Newt

The southern marbled newt or pygmy marbled newt (Triturus pygmaeus) is a species of salamander in the family Salamandridae. It is found in Portugal and Spain. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rivers, intermittent rivers, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, arable land, pastureland, rural gardens, water storage areas, ponds, open excavations, irrigated land, canals and ditches. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Previously thought to be a subspecies of the marbled newt (Triturus marmoratus), it was raised to species level after genetic studies revealed its distinctiveness from the former. The southern marbled newt occurs only in southern Portugal and southwestern Spain, in Mediterranean climate. The Douro–Tagus watershed forms a narrow, northern border to the range of Triturus marmoratus. The southern marbled newt is similar in appearance to the marbled newt but is smaller, with adults reaching a total length of 13 centimetres (5.1 in) as against the latter's 17 centimetres (6.7 in). The dorsal surface is yellowish-green heavily mottled with irregular patches of dark brown or black... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
2 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
3 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Badoca Safari Park 🇵🇹 Portugal In captivity
2 Zoo de Córdoba 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Pygmy Marbled Newt in Doñana National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pygmy Marbled Newt sighting in Doñana National Park on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 6 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Pygmy Marbled Newt in Doñana National Park?

April and December

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pygmy Marbled Newt in Doñana National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, May–September and November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Pygmy Marbled Newt?

Between 8 and 11 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pygmy Marbled Newt sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Doñana National Park the best place to see a Pygmy Marbled Newt?

3rd of 3

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Pygmy Marbled Newt sightings, Doñana National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Monfragüe National Park (Spain, about 30%) and Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (Spain, about 10%).

Where does the Pygmy Marbled Newt sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Pygmy Marbled Newt is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Doñana National Park (17 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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