bigjon wrote:
We were cleaning out the pumps on our pond this week and came across
this - http://www.topqualityfreeware.com/lizzie.html
It was about three inches long, nose to tip of tail, and played dead
until released into the water. We are presuming it's a common newty
type thing, but as we've only had the pond a couple of years we are
wondering...
We now know there are a couple of these above at least, maybe more
along with a shedfull of frogs and countless tadpoles!

Thanks anybody that can help !!

Not meaning to be unkind, but lizards are reptiles and have dry scaly skins
(we actually get a few round here, I saw one in a dry wall in town a couple
of years back, a male common lizard. That was, of course, before they
started destroying the railway).

Anyway, what you have there, my friend, is a newt, which is a member of the
order Amphibia, characterised by their smooth skins. The size tells me it's
a male Palmate Newt (/Triturus helveticus/) (the Common or Smooth Newt is
somewhat larger - reaching up to 4½").

They're good to have around as they'll eat many garden nasties but, if it
shares its habitat with frogs and/or toads then, depending on how many there
are (newts, that is) you may want to find another home for one or t'other
(it's probably kinder to move the newts, frogs - and toads - are very set in
their ways and don't care to move home as they will return to the pond in
which they were spawned) because spawn and tadpoles form a large part of the
newt's diet.

If you're sure that he's the only newt (highly unlikely) then you may leave
him as he won't do much damage (especially to a large frog and/or toad
population).

Otherwise, it would be kinder (to the other amphibious inhabitants) to
relocate as many as you can find.


--
In memory of MS MVP Alex Nichol: http://www.dts-l.org/