Palmate newt  (Triturus helveticus)

Crepuscular: active at twilight and/or just before sunrise.
Hibernation: a winter survival strategy characteristic of some mammals in which an animal’s metabolic rate slows down and a state of deep sleep is attained. Whilst hibernating, animals survive on stored reserves of fat that they have accumulated in summer. In insects, the correct term for hibernation is ‘diapause’, a temporary pause in development and growth. Any stage of the lifecycle (eggs, larvae, pupae or adults) may enter diapause, which is typically associated with winter.
Larvae: stage in an animal’s lifecycle after it hatches from the egg. Larvae are typically very different in appearance to adults; they are able to feed and move around but usually are unable to reproduce.
Metamorphosis: an abrupt physical change from the larval to the adult form.
Pheromone: a chemical produced by an animal, which stimulates a behavioural or physiological response by another member of the same species.

1. NBN Species Dictionary (January 2004). Available on-line from:
   http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nbn
   
2. Arnold, E.N. and Burton, J.A. (1978) A field guide to the reptiles and amphibians of Britain and Europe. Collins, London.
   
3. Beebee, T & Griffiths, R. (2000) The New Naturalist: Amphibians and reptiles- a natural history of the British herpetofauna. Harper Collins Publishers, London.
   
4. Buczaki, S (2002) Fauna Britannica. Hamlyn, London.
   
5. The Herpetological Conservation Trust (October 2003):
   http://www.hcontrst.f9.co.uk
   
6. Reptiles and amphibians of the UK (October 2003)
   http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk