Ichthyosaura alpestris
Silhouette: Kryp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The alpine newt (Mesotriton alpestris) is a species of newt native to continental Europe and introduced to Great Britain and New Zealand. Adults measure 7–12 cm (2.8–4.7 in) and are usually dark grey to blue on the back and sides, with an orange belly and throat. Males are more conspicuously coloured than the drab females, especially during breeding season.
The alpine newt occurs at high altitude as well as in the lowlands. Living mainly in forested land habitats for most of the year, the adults migrate to puddles, ponds, lakes or similar water bodies for breeding. Males court females with a ritualised display and deposit a spermatophore. After fertilisation, females usually fold their eggs into leaves of water plants. The aquatic larvae grow up to 5 cm (2.0 in) in around three months before metamorphosing into terrestrial juvenile efts, which mature into adults at around three years. In the southern range, the newts sometimes do not metamorphose but keep their gills and stay aquatic as paedomorphic adults. Larvae and adults feed mainly on diverse invertebrates and themselves fall prey to dragonfly larvae, large beetles, fish, snakes, birds or mammals.
Populations of the alpine newt started to diverge around 20 million years ago. At least four subspecies are distinguished, and some argue there are several distinct, cryptic species. Although still relatively common and classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, alpine newt populations are decreasing and have locally gone extinct. The main threats are habitat destruction, pollution and the introduction of fish such as trout into breeding sites. Where it has been introduced, the alpine newt can potentially transmit diseases to native amphibians, and it is being eradicated in New Zealand. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 3 | Hohe Tauern National Park | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ostrava Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Civic Aquarium of Milan | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 3 | Slimbridge Wetland Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Hellabrunn Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Heidelberg Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Alpenzoo Innsbruck | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 7 | Boston Aquarial Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Tierpark Schlichtweg 15 in München | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Zoo Schlichtweg 11 in München | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Zoo Siebenbrunner Straße 6 in München | 🇩🇪 Germany |
No species of the same family or order lives in Ecrins National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other amphibians.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Alpine Newt sighting in Ecrins National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June–July and September
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Alpine Newt in Ecrins National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October and December–May, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Alpine Newt sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Alpine Newt sightings, Ecrins National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Picos de Europa National Park (Spain, about 50%), Triglav National Park (Slovenia, about 30%) and Hohe Tauern National Park (Austria, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Alpine Newt is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Ecrins National Park (7 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.
