How can you tell a newt from a lizard?

Despite being from different families and habitats, these cold-blooded animals are regularly confused. Our guide separates the newts from the lizards so you can tell these small creatures apart.

A small newt, brown in colour with shiny skin, rests on a brown leaf on a woodland floor.

Common smooth newt

Is it a newt or a lizard?

When it comes to small cold-blooded creatures, newts and lizards might seem similar. The main difference – which isn’t obvious at first glance – is that newts are amphibians from the Salamandridae family, while lizards are reptiles.

A smooth newt, light brown in colour with dark spots, swims through underwater plants.

Discover more about newts

The smooth newt is the species you’re most likely to find, but the UK is also home to the great crested and the palmate newts

How fast are newts and lizards?

Your first clue to identify a newt or lizard should be their speed. As reptiles, lizards bask in sunny spots to stay warm and scurry for cover at the slightest disturbance. Often, you’ll only see a final glimpse of their tail before you even know they’re there.

On the other hand, as amphibians, newts are much slower on land. You might be able to get a lot closer before the newt vanishes.

Learn to identify newt species

Don’t know your palmates from your great crested newts? Read our newt identification guide

Where do newts and lizards live?

Another telling difference between newts and lizards is their habitats. Newts are closely associated with water and are often found along our canals, in garden ponds, and near other water sources.

You might also find them on land in wet weather or during the colder months when they shelter in soil or beneath damp rocks. However, they’re unlikely to be basking out in the open, where they risk drying out. In the spring, newts return to the water to begin the breeding season.

Lizards prefer heathlands, moorlands, grasslands, and woodlands with plenty of sunny spots. In the UK, they rarely enter water – although there are lizards in other parts of the world who like a dip. You’re unlikely to see a lizard in or near our canals, rivers, or reservoirs, as they prefer dry landscapes.

A young smooth newt with brown colouring rests on wood on dry land.

Top tips to spot newts

Follow our guide to spotting newts to see these small amphibians yourself

What do newts and lizards look like?

Beyond their behaviour and habitats, there are a few distinguishing features to tell newts and lizards apart.

Skin: Lizards have dry, tough scales, whereas newts have moist skin, like a frog or toad, and no scales. Smooth newts have smooth skin, while the great crested newt has a warty appearance.
Feet: If you’re able to get close enough to see their front legs, count the number of toes. Newts have four toes; lizards have five with small claws.
Colour: The UK’s native newt and lizard species vary in colour. Look for two pale lines running along the spine from head to tail on common lizards. Smooth and palmate newts generally only have one orange line, if any. Great crested newts are black on top with an orange underside.
Shape: Newts have round heads, whereas lizards have a pointed snout. Newts grow wavy crests along their backs during the breeding season. A lizard might have a short, stubby tail. As a defence mechanism, they quickly shed their tails to distract a predator.
Size: Adult lizards grow up to 15cm, compared to newts, which are generally around 10cm. However, great crested newts can reach 17cm.