Editing Northern crested newt (section)

===Diet and predators===

Northern crested newts feed mainly on invertebrates. During the land phase, prey include [[earthworm]]s and other [[annelids]], different [[insects]] and their larvae, [[woodlice]], and [[snails and slugs]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://amphibiaweb.org/species/4295 | title=AmphibiaWeb - Triturus cristatus }}</ref> During the breeding season, they prey on various aquatic invertebrates (such as [[mollusc]]s [particularly small [[bivalve]]s], microcrustaceans, and insects), and also [[tadpoles]] and juveniles of other amphibians such as the [[common frog]] or [[common toad]], and smaller newts (including conspecifics).{{r|JehleThiesmeier2011|p=58–59}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://amphibiaweb.org/species/4295 | title=AmphibiaWeb - Triturus cristatus }}</ref> Larvae, depending on their size, eat small invertebrates and tadpoles, and also smaller larvae of their own species.{{r|EdgarBird2006}}

The larvae are themselves eaten by various animals such as carnivorous invertebrates and [[water birds]], and are especially vulnerable to predatory fish.{{r|EdgarBird2006}} Adults generally avoid predators through their hidden lifestyle but are sometimes eaten by [[herons]] and other birds, snakes such as the [[grass snake]], and mammals such as [[shrew]]s, [[European badger|badgers]] and [[European hedgehog|hedgehogs]].{{r|JehleThiesmeier2011|p=78}} They secrete the poison [[tetrodotoxin]] from their skin, albeit much less than for example the North American [[Taricha|Pacific newts]] (''Taricha'').{{r|WakelyFuhrman1966}} The bright yellow or orange underside of crested newts is a [[warning coloration]] which can be presented in case of perceived danger. In such a posture, the newts typically roll up and secrete a milky substance.{{r|JehleThiesmeier2011|p=79}}