Italian crested newt
When newts are inactive or in oxygen-rich environments, respiration can be done through their skin which accounts for 74% of the cutaneous respiration. However, oxygen-poor environments, such as stagnant ponds, pose a threat to the survival of larval newts. This is because oxygen molecules do not readily dissolve in water, and as "T. carnifex" is an immobile animal, extracting oxygen from water is difficult. Newts consequently have external gills at birth that persist until metamorphosis, which assists survival in low-oxygen conditions.
Smooth newt
Smooth newts are generalist carnivores with a broad diet including invertebrates, crustaceans, and the eggs and hatchlings of frogs and fish. Therefore, they are likely to prey on and compete for food with a wide range of Australian terrestrial and freshwater species