I recently returned from a trip in early June to visit relatives and do some sightseeing in Croatia. I'll boil this down to 4 sightings of caudates.
1. Lissotriton vulgaris pond, central Croatia.
I stumbled upon this pond, and a quick look immediately revealed a newt in the water. I didn't have time to look further, but returned the next day with net and camera. Alas, the substrate of the pond was a very thick layer of branches and beech tree leaves. Although I saw several newts, usually as they came to the surface to breathe, I was unable to catch any nor to get any decent photos of them. Every time I tried, the newt would dart down under the beech leaves. I saw them closely enough to be sure they were L. vulgaris. I saw both sexes, and the male had high fins indicative of breeding condition. Here is a habitat shot, that's the best I could do.
2. Salamandra larvae, north-central Croatia.
I found S. s. salamandra larvae in exactly the same place I found them 2 years ago. In addition, I found them in several other locations where we hiked. They seem to like streams with moving water, and they hide under leaves right along the edge of the stream. I also saw one right inside the source of a spring (inside a human-built box enclosing the spring); this surprised me, as it seems an unlikely place for the larva to find food. I looked in many places where there was standing water, and didn't find them in such places.
3. S. s. salamandra adults, north-central Croatia.
In the area where I found the larvae, I hunted for adults of course. But either they weren't nearby, or else the substrate provided them with too many hiding places. This area has a limestone base which has zillions of crack and crevices, where I imagine they can hide and not be found. Luckily, as we hiked in another area nearby, we stumbled upon some Salamandra that were obliging enough to simply appear in the middle of the hiking trail! Here are some habitat and critter shots. I was surprised that they were found in an area where the terrain is so rugged. From where many of the salamanders were seen, they would have to climb up or down steep cliffs in order to go anywhere!
This one had a stumpy tail:
This one was the most colorful we saw. It was rather far from the trail, hence the poor photo. It was yellow-orange.
4. Unknown newt eggs, north-central Croatia.
On another hike, I noticed this old limestone livestock trough, and went for a quick look.
Inside the trough, there was some moss...
And on that moss, I saw something strangely familiar...
Yes, definitely newt eggs!
Unfortunately, I was pressed for time, as certain family members were anxious to move on (hmmmfff!
). I had my net with me, and tried some swipes through the trough to catch the newts that might be there, but only dredged up some decaying leaves. These newts shall have to remain "unknown". Based on range maps, the possible newt species in this area are L. vulgaris, I. alpestris, and Triturus carnifex.
1. Lissotriton vulgaris pond, central Croatia.
I stumbled upon this pond, and a quick look immediately revealed a newt in the water. I didn't have time to look further, but returned the next day with net and camera. Alas, the substrate of the pond was a very thick layer of branches and beech tree leaves. Although I saw several newts, usually as they came to the surface to breathe, I was unable to catch any nor to get any decent photos of them. Every time I tried, the newt would dart down under the beech leaves. I saw them closely enough to be sure they were L. vulgaris. I saw both sexes, and the male had high fins indicative of breeding condition. Here is a habitat shot, that's the best I could do.
2. Salamandra larvae, north-central Croatia.
I found S. s. salamandra larvae in exactly the same place I found them 2 years ago. In addition, I found them in several other locations where we hiked. They seem to like streams with moving water, and they hide under leaves right along the edge of the stream. I also saw one right inside the source of a spring (inside a human-built box enclosing the spring); this surprised me, as it seems an unlikely place for the larva to find food. I looked in many places where there was standing water, and didn't find them in such places.
3. S. s. salamandra adults, north-central Croatia.
In the area where I found the larvae, I hunted for adults of course. But either they weren't nearby, or else the substrate provided them with too many hiding places. This area has a limestone base which has zillions of crack and crevices, where I imagine they can hide and not be found. Luckily, as we hiked in another area nearby, we stumbled upon some Salamandra that were obliging enough to simply appear in the middle of the hiking trail! Here are some habitat and critter shots. I was surprised that they were found in an area where the terrain is so rugged. From where many of the salamanders were seen, they would have to climb up or down steep cliffs in order to go anywhere!
This one had a stumpy tail:
This one was the most colorful we saw. It was rather far from the trail, hence the poor photo. It was yellow-orange.
4. Unknown newt eggs, north-central Croatia.
On another hike, I noticed this old limestone livestock trough, and went for a quick look.
Inside the trough, there was some moss...
And on that moss, I saw something strangely familiar...
Yes, definitely newt eggs!
Unfortunately, I was pressed for time, as certain family members were anxious to move on (hmmmfff!
). I had my net with me, and tried some swipes through the trough to catch the newts that might be there, but only dredged up some decaying leaves. These newts shall have to remain "unknown". Based on range maps, the possible newt species in this area are L. vulgaris, I. alpestris, and Triturus carnifex.
