stancarey ,
@stancarey@mastodon.ie avatar

A smooth newt, Ireland's only newt species, and the first I've seen in an age. Encountered it in soil near Lough Corrib while planting hazel trees

A smooth newt held on the fingers of an orange gardening glove. The newt faces left, straddling two fingers. It's brown and soft-skinned, with two wavy black lines along its back (possibly indicating that it's female?). Its snout is stubby and its toes are splayed. It seems calm, and it didn't move till I found a quiet spot for it.
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    • stancarey OP ,
    @stancarey@mastodon.ie avatar

    Fun newt fact, or rather "newt" fact:

    "A newt" used to be "an ewte", but the "n" jumped across thanks to rebracketing (misdivision, reanalysis, etc.)*

    The word's Old English etymon, "eft", now refers more narrowly to the juvenile terrestrial stage of certain newts.

    • See also: adder, apron, nickname, umpire…

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