Sand dunes are a great place for me to live, especially when the dune system is made up of a mosaic of different habitat
With open and closed grassland, seasonal ponds in the dune slacks and plenty of nooks and crannies, sand dune systems can be a great habitat for great crested newt, offering many sheltered areas to breed or hibernate! Great crested newt is the biggest newt in the UK, with bumpy dark brown skin (almost black), with a bright orange belly. It gets its name from the males of the species, who have a crest along their body and tail to attract females during the breeding season.
Great crested newt is also known as the ‘warty’ newt because its skin is so rough.
It can be found on the Sefton Coast, often in or around the pools in the dune slacks.
Protecting and rejuvenating dune slacks by removing overgrown vegetation or overgrown species, or by lowering the dune slack to below the water table provides safe, clean breeding pools for the great crested newt.