Lissotriton helveticus
Silhouette: Original foto by Gilles San Martin, modified by Luca Leicht · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus) is a species of newt found in Western Europe, from Great Britain to the northern Iberian Peninsula. It is 5–9.5 cm (2.0–3.7 in) long and olive or brown with some dark spots. The underside is yellow to orange, and the throat, unlike in the similar smooth newt, always unspotted. A dark stripe runs along the head and through the eyes. Breeding males develop a distinct filament on the end of their tail, strongly webbed hind feet, and a low, smooth crest on their back.
Habitats include forests, marshes, pastures or gardens. While on land, the newts are mainly nocturnal. After emerging from hibernation in spring, they move to stagnant, fish-free bodies of water for breeding. Following a courtship display, the male deposits a spermatophore that is picked up by the female. Larvae develop over after 1.5–3.5 months before metamorphosing into land-dwelling juveniles (efts). Sexual maturity is reached after two to three years, and the newts can live up to 12 years in the wild. The species is generally common and has been assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
The palmate newt was first scientifically described in 1789 by Russian naturalist... Wikipedia →
Recording0:22
France · 2026
© Erell Olivo · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wildwood Discovery Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Palmate Newt sighting in Snowdonia National Park on a given day, based on 33 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and May
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Palmate Newt in Snowdonia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, September and November–January, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Palmate Newt sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Palmate Newt sightings, Snowdonia National Park ranks 3rd at about 30%. The best odds are in Picos de Europa National Park (Spain, about 50%) and Pyrénées National Park (France, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Palmate Newt is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Snowdonia National Park (33 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.
