Pleurodeles waltl
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The Iberian ribbed newt (Pleurodeles waltl), also known commonly as the Spanish ribbed newt and gallipato in Spanish, is a species of salamander in the subfamily Pleurodelinae of the family Salamandridae. The species is native to the central and southern Iberian Peninsula and northern Morocco. It is the largest European newt species. It is known for its defense mechanisms where their sharp ribs puncture through its sides when in a defensive state, and as such is also called the sharp-ribbed newt and the sharp-ribbed salamander.
This species should not be confused with a different species with a similar common name, the Iberian newt (Lissotriton boscai). The Iberian ribbed newt typically have 8 to 10 tubercles that look like orange warts running down each side. Through these, its sharp ribs can puncture through the stretched skin. The size of their ribs are larger than most other salamanders. The ribs act as a defense mechanism, causing little harm to the newt. Iberian ribbed newts generally try to run away from predators, but if they cannot escape they resort to this mechanism. It could be considered as a primitive and rudimentary system of envenomation, but is completely... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Academy of Sciences | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Zlín-Lešná Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Ostrava Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 4 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 5 | Zoobotánico Jerez | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Zoológico de Brasília | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Bratislava Zoo | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 8 | Sedgwick County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Toledo Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Wildgehege Moritzburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 11 | Franklin Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Zoo Opole | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 13 | Nikolaev Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 14 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Faunia | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 16 | Valencia Bioparc | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 17 | Ueno Zoological Gardens (West Garden) | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 18 | L'Oceanogràfic | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 19 | Zoo d'Upie | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 20 | Grodno Zoo | 🇧🇾 Belarus | |
| 21 | Zoo de Córdoba | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 22 | Sao Paulo aquarium | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 23 | Zoo Samara | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 24 | Grand Aquarium de Touraine | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 25 | Shanghai Ocean Aquarium | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 26 | Aquarium River of Zaragoza | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 27 | Aquário Vasco da Gama | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 28 | Fluviário de Mora | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 29 | Hanhwa Aqua Planet Yeosu | 🇰🇷 South Korea |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spanish Newt sighting in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, based on 123 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 13 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Spanish Newt in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to September, the lowest months. That is one of Sierra de Guadarrama National Park's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain against 20 mm in July.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spanish 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 Spanish Newt sightings, Sierra de Guadarrama National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Monfragüe National Park (Spain, about 30%).
Same family: Salamandridae
The closest relatives of the Spanish Newt that you can see in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (family Salamandridae, True Salamanders and Newts) are Fire Salamander (about 10%), Pygmy Marbled Newt (about 10%) and Alpine Newt (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spanish Newt is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (123 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.
