Triturus pygmaeus
Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Badoca Safari Park | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 2 | Zoo de Córdoba | 🇪🇸 Spain |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pygmy Marbled Newt sighting in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, based on 154 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 13 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pygmy Marbled Newt in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July and December, the lowest months.
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.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Pygmy Marbled Newt sightings, Sierra de Guadarrama National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Monfragüe National Park (Spain, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pygmy Marbled Newt is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (154 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.
