Chester Zoo’s Rare Newts
You can’t keep our award winning and famous Chester Zoo out of the news for too long. On this occasion, Chester Zoo conservationists have successfully bred one of the world’s rarest amphibians. Threatened with extinction Chester Zoo’s rare newts will hopefully become the first of many to be born in captivity.
Yet another feather in the cap for Chester Zoo is that the birth is the first time it has been achieved in captivity outside their native Catalonia.
Chester Zoo’s Rare Newts
Chester Zoo’s Rare Newts
So, what are Montseny newts and why do they come from? The Montseny brook newt is a member of the salamander family. It’s normal habitat is in the Montseny Massif, a mountain range west of the coastal hills, north of the beautiful city of Barcelona. It is a part of the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range in northeast Spain.
The male and female normally measure 2.2 to 2.3 inches in length, snout to vent. Its tail measures between 1.3 to 1.7 inches. The head is strongly flattened and the body is oval in cross-section.
If ever handled, the Montseny brook newts releases a whitish, noxious, sticky, and foul smelling skin secretion. This is more than likely a defence mechanism against predators.
Habitat and Conservation
The Montseny’s natural habitat are cold mountain streams and fast running rivers. Its current estimated population is supposed to be less than 1,500, with an estimated rate of decline of 15% over the last 10 years. Their diminishing numbers can be attributed to climate change for one thing. The drying out of mountain streams, human intervention altering its original habitat, together with the threat of global warning has sadly endangered the Montseny newt. As a result, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has officially listed them as “critically endangered”
Chester Zoo Conservation Work
It has long been established that Chester Zoo is well renowned for its conservation work. As a result of this, Chester Zoo has been asked by Barcelona Provincial Council, the Catalan Government’s Department of Territory and Barcelona Zoo, to join forces in caring for the highly endangered amphibian.
Eventually Chester Zoo’s rare newts will be introduced back to the Montseny mountain range in a bid to improve numbers. Twelve have been hatched so far, but it is hoped that there will be more to follow. With Chester Zoo now being on board with their vast experience in breeding threatened amphibians, it is hoped the programme will go from strength to strength.
You can see the results of the great work carried out by Chester Zoo in this short video here…..
Chester Zoo Right On Our Doorstep
If you have been reading my website regularly then you will know that I love Chester Zoo. We, in Chester, are so lucky to have the Zoo right on our doorstep. Having an annual membership is great value. A day out at Chester Zoo is always a fabulous experience to savour. With so many new breeds of animals being added and the birth of so many babies, every visit is so different.
With so much going on at Chester Zoo there will no doubt be many more articles written here over time.
If you wish to know more about the beautiful city of Chester and Chester Lifestyle – click HERE.
Chester Zoo – More Posts On Chester Lifestyle.
For more articles and posts about Chester Zoo on my Chester Lifestyle website, see the links below….
Chester Zoo – General information, history, timetable, admission prices and a couple of videos – click HERE.
Visit to Chester Zoo in April – a post about another great day out at Chester Zoo – click HERE.
Chester Zoo Voted Third Best In The World – only 3rd!! Read more HERE.
