History and origin
The Alpine newt was first described by Laurenti in 1768, the scientific name of this species is Mesotriton alpestris, formally Triturus alpestris. Triturus is from Greek and is composed of two words, the first coming from Greek Mythologies as being the sea guardian. The second meaning 'tail'. Alpestris is from Latin and means 'Alps', 'from the Alps'. Mesotriton may mean 'average' and 'newt' due to their average size in the newt family.

Characteristics
They are characterised by their blue appearance and bright orange belly which comes up onto the flanks.

Description
=Size=
- Eggs: The eggs are about 1.3 to 1.8 mm in diameter, laid in individual balls of about 3 to 4 mm in diameter.
- Larva: The larva measure about 7 to 10 mm long when they hatch.
- Juveniles: The young measure between 30 to 50 mm long.
- Adults: The males usually measure between 70 and 95 mm long. The females measure between 80 and 110 mm long (max. 120 mm long).
=Morphology=
- Eggs: The eggs are laid individual balls fixed onto leaves. About 250 eggs are laid per females per year.
- Larva: They have a long thin tail that ends bluntly, they have external gills.
- Adults: They are a slim Newt, they have a small head and no paratoid glands. Their limbs are robust and their hind limbs are quite long. Their tail is thin and flattened. They lack hind feet webbing. Their skin is smooth. In the aquatic phase, males have a very tall tail crest, a body crest is also present but is not very high. In the terrestrial phase, the crests decline and become unnoticeable. Their skin becomes dry, rough and impervious.
=Patterns & colours=
- Eggs: They are light brown in colour. The egg is encased in a transparent ball.
- Larva: They are greyish blue, they have irregular dark spots and blotches all over the body. Their tail is dark. Their external gills are yellowish or dark brown, rarely reddish.
- Adult: In the aquatic phase, the males are light shades of blue, on the lower part of the flanks they have a white line what is covered with many vividly distinctive black spots. Just under this the belly colour is visible which is vivid orange. The body crest is usually white with the same design as on the lower flanks, a series of black spots. Their tails are usually sky blue blotches irregularly with dark blue and black. Females are lighter and lack the white line with black spots. Their overall coloration is very dull and not as vivid compared to the males. In their terrestrial phase, specimens may become very dark (usually brownish, they may even be black but they are not shinny like salamanders), females usually have an orange line running down the middle of the back. Their belly is vivid orange and their eyes are silvery.

Geographical range
They are found all over central Europe, but also in western Balkans, Germany, northern Italy and northern Spain. There is a small, isolated population in southern Italy.

Subspecies
- alpestris - They are found over central Europe.
- apuanus - They are found in Italy and a small part of the French Alps.
- cyreni - They are found in Spain.
- inexpectatus - They are found in southern Italy.
- lacusnigri - They are found in Slovenia, Serbia...
- veluchiensis - They are found in Greece.

Sexual differences
Females are larger and more robust then males. Males have a white line type marking on the lower part of their flanks this is covered with vivid distinctive black spots. Females lack crests and are generally less vivid then males.

Seasonal variations
As they enter terrestrial phase, the crests decline. They become very dark in colour.

Diet
They feed mainly on invertebrates and their larva... They also eat newts eggs. The larva eat water insects, mainly water fleas.

Defensive habits
If they are held, they may emit a squeak and secrete a liquid from their skin. In the aquatic phase they flee to heavily vegetated areas of the pond.

Reproduction
The breeding season starts just after hibernation when the specimens first enter the water (mid-February, but this depends on the altitude), females may breed once every two years in high altitude, the male will swim in front of a female, sniffs to confirm the genre and species, arcing his back like a cat, he makes his tail vibrate in the direction of the female. In most cases, the female then allows him to mount her, then he lifts his tail exposing his cloacae. He then moves away and the female follows him. If the female then touches his tail with her head, the male produces a spermatophore which he lays on the bottom of the water. The female moves on top of this, the male comes around perpendicularly to the female and adjusts her position for her to be able to intake the sperm. A female may lay up to 250 eggs per year, these eggs are laid one by one, individually.

Sexual maturity, life span
The average life span for Mesotriton alpestris is about 20 years, they reach their sexual maturity in about three years.

Habits
They are active during the night in their terrestrial phase, however they may be seen by day in the breeding season and in rainy conditions. They can hibernate on land or in the water. re is no vegetation.

Habitat
They are found to up to 2650 m in altitude in the Alps. Their terrestrial habitat is usually made up of wood rich areas. Their aquatic habitat is characterised by vegetated areas and lack of fish, there is a preference for shaded ponds.

Predators
They are sometimes hunted by the same species. Otherwise they are the prey for fish, birds, snakes and even water spiders.