The DANUBE CRESTED NEWT is a large newt, it can reach 12-13 cm in total length. Its body is blackish brown with black spots or it is uniformly black. There are white pinpoint dots on its black throat and along the sides; its belly is vivid orange with black spots. During the breeding season males develop a tall crest with a serrated edge along their back; and there is a whitish or pearl-grey longitudnal stripe along the lower half of their tail. Females lack the dorsal crest. Its iris is orange. Males are slightly smaller with a more swollen cloaca. Larvae are yellowish with black spots on their tail fin, their iris is bright yellow and their tail ends in a thin thread.
Distibution map by our National Herpetological Mapping Program:
