48-604: Portlethen Academy is a six-year comprehensive secondary school in Portlethen , Aberdeenshire , Scotland. With the expansion of the communities of Portlethen and Newtonhill in the 1980s, the Education Committee of Grampian Regional Council decided to build a new six-year Academy in Portlethen. Until then, pupils from the area were bused to Mackie Academy , in near-by Stonehaven . Portlethen Academy opened on 20 April 1987 as
96-554: A blue–white flash running along the sides of the tail. Females do not develop a crest. The northern crested newt is the most widespread and northerly crested newt species. The northern edge of its range runs from Great Britain through southern Fennoscandia to the Republic of Karelia in Russia ; the southern margin runs through central France, southwest Romania , Moldavia and Ukraine , heading from there into central Russia and through
144-549: A bowling green with public and private sessions, a swimming pool and a private members' golf club. It is also home to the Lethen Archers club. The pool is 25 metres long and was opened on 29 June 1991 by Olympic swimmer Ian Black . Portlethen swimming pool is the regular meeting place of the Reef Rats underwater hockey club. Portlethen Golf Club was founded in 1981, and opened in 1989. The club's first professional player
192-410: A hard time keeping their eggs alive. Like other newts, T. cristatus develops in the water as a larva and returns to the water each year for breeding. Adults spend around seven months of the year on land. After larval development in the first year, juveniles pass another year or two before reaching maturity; in the north and at higher elevations, this can take longer. The larval and juvenile stages are
240-453: A mean of roughly 4%. In unfavourable conditions, larvae may delay their development and overwinter in water, although this seems to be less common than in the small-bodied newts. The northern crested newt sometimes hybridises with other crested newt species where their ranges meet, but overall, the different species are reproductively isolated . In a case study in the Netherlands, genes of
288-465: A mile inland from the small fishing village now known as Old Portlethen. Portlethen lies about two kilometres east of the ancient Causey Mounth road which was the only available medieval route from coastal points south to Aberdeen. This ancient passage connected the Bridge of Dee with Muchalls Castle and Stonehaven to the south. Battle of Portlethen. In November 1780 during the wars with France
336-401: A milky substance. Northern crested newts, like their relatives in the genus Triturus , perform a complex courtship display , where the male attracts a female through specific body movements and waves pheromones to her. The males are territorial and use small patches of clear ground as leks , or courtship arenas. When successful, they guide the female over a spermatophore they deposit on
384-449: A new school for the communities of Portlethen , Newtonhill , Muchalls and Banchory-Devenick . Originally owned by Grampian Regional Council, the school passed to Aberdeenshire Council , when it formed in 1996. The school opened with 180 pupils in Years 1 and 2 and a capacity of around 650. It has expanded in numbers each session since April 1987, reaching over 800 pupils. As the roll rose,
432-533: A number of Christian congregations. These include Portlethen Parish Church - part of the Church of Scotland . It has now united with Newtonhill Parish Church to become Kincardine Coastal Parish Church. There is also Portlethen Christian Fellowship - an independent Christian Church. And, it also has a congregation of the Redeemed Christian Church of God . Portlethen has two all-weather concrete tennis courts,
480-498: A toddlers park, a skate park and two basketball courts. Bourtree Park has a football pitch, a few swings and climbing frames. There is a community library and community centre located within Portlethen Academy. The Social Work offices of Aberdeenshire Council for the local area are located within Portlethen. There has been a school in Portlethen since the nineteenth century. The original school building (used until 1860)
528-424: Is a newt species native to Great Britain , northern and central continental Europe and parts of Western Siberia . It is a large newt, with females growing up to 16 cm (6.3 in) long. Its back and sides are dark brown, while the belly is yellow to orange with dark blotches. Males develop a conspicuous jagged crest on their back and tail during the breeding season. The northern crested newt spends most of
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#1733106021410576-458: Is correlated with skeletal build: The northern crested newt has 15 rib-bearing vertebrae , only the Danube crested newt has more (16–17), while the other, more stocky Triturus species have 14 or less. The newts have rough skin, and are dark brown on the back and sides, with black spots and heavy white stippling on the flanks. The female has a yellow line running along the lower tail edge. The throat
624-471: Is generally a lowland species but has been found up to 1,750 m (5,740 ft) in the Alps . In certain areas of France, the northern crested newt and the marbled newt overlap, and hybrids are present. As the northern crested newt's population grows, and marbled newt population struggles, these hybrids have been shown to possess good qualities of both. They have more fecundity than the two newts however have
672-520: Is important to sustain populations, and the creation of new breeding ponds is in general very effective as they are rapidly colonised when other habitats are nearby. In some cases, entire populations have been moved when threatened by development projects, but such translocations need to be carefully planned to be successful. Strict protection of the northern crested newt in the United Kingdom has created conflicts with local development projects, but
720-405: Is mixed yellow–black with fine white stippling, the belly yellow to orange with dark, irregular blotches. During the aquatic breeding season, males develop crest up to 1.5 cm (0.59 in) high, which runs along the back and tail but is interrupted at the tail base. It is heavily indented on the back but smoother on the tail. Also during breeding season, the male's cloaca swells and it has
768-560: Is now the local police station. Portlethen Primary School opened in 1962. Portlethen Academy opened in 1987. The school was relocated to a new building in 2006. Fishermoss School , opened in 1989. Hillside Primary School opened in March 2017. Portlethen is next to the A92 . It has a train station. Stagecoach operate bus services to/from Portlethen. The Portlethen & District Community Council (PDCC) monthly in Portlethen Academy, normally on
816-591: Is reduced in these hybrids and they rarely backcross with their parent species. Hybrids made up 3–7% of the adult populations in different studies. Little genetic variation was found over most of the species' range, except in the Carpathians . This suggests that the Carpathians was a refugium during the Last Glacial Maximum . The northern crested newt then expanded its range north-, east- and westwards when
864-546: The Carpathians during the Last Glacial Maximum . While the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists it as Least Concern species, populations of the northern crested newt have been declining. The main threat is habitat destruction , for example, through urban sprawl . The species is listed as a European Protected Species. The northern crested newt was described as Triton cristatus by Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in 1768. As Linnaeus had already used
912-610: The Ural Mountains . The eastern extent of the great crested newt's range reaches into Western Siberia , running from the Perm Krai to the Kurgan Oblast . In western France, the species co-occurs and sometimes hybridises (see section Evolution below) with the marbled newt ( Triturus marmoratus ). In southeast Europe, its range borders that of the Italian crested newt ( T. carnifex ),
960-473: The grass snake , and mammals such as shrews , badgers and hedgehogs . They secrete the poison tetrodotoxin from their skin, albeit much less than for example the North American Pacific newts ( Taricha ). 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
1008-509: The 2022 census was 8,969 making it the seventh most populous settlement within Aberdeenshire. To the east of Portlethen lie three fishing villages: Findon , Downies and Portlethen Village (now often referred to as Old Portlethen ). Portlethen is a coastal town lying along the North Sea coast. Portlethen is located in the historic county of Kincardineshire. Portlethen is located half
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#17331060214101056-657: The British army used fencible regiments for home defence. The Sutherland Fencibles armed with muskets engaged in action with the crew of armed with muskets and Swivel guns of a French privateer . The engagement was reported in the newspapers of the period. On 2 September 1799 George Auldjo of Portlethen offered for safe at the New Inn, Aberdeen 'LOT 1. Is to consist of the Lands and Barony of PORTLETHEN, Mill, Mill-lands, Multures and sequels, Sea-port, Haven and Harbour of Portlethen, with
1104-886: The Danube crested newt ( T. dobrogicus ), the Macedonian crested newt ( T. macedonicus ) and the Balkan crested newt ( T. ivanbureschi ). Outside of the breeding season, northern crested newts are mainly forest -dwellers. They prefer deciduous woodlands or groves , but conifer woods are also accepted, especially in the far northern and southern ranges. In the absence of forests, other cover-rich habitats, as for example hedgerows , scrub , swampy meadows, or quarries , can be inhabited. Preferred aquatic breeding sites are stagnant, mid- to large-sized, unshaded water bodies with abundant underwater vegetation but without fish (which prey on larvae). Typical examples are larger ponds , which need not be of natural origin; indeed, most ponds inhabited in
1152-507: The United Kingdom are human-made. Examples of other suitable secondary habitats are ditches, channels, gravel pit lakes, or garden ponds. Other newts that can sometimes be found in the same breeding sites are the smooth newt ( Lissotriton vulgaris ), the palmate newt ( L. helveticus ), the Carpathian newt ( L. montadoni ), the alpine newt ( Ichthyosaura alpestris ) and the marbled newt ( Triturus marmoratus ). The northern crested newt
1200-438: The adults in general move back to the same breeding sites each year. The newts do not migrate very far: they may cover around 100 metres (110 yd) in one night and rarely disperse much farther than one kilometre (0.62 mi). Over most of their range, they hibernate in winter, using mainly subterranean hiding places, where many individuals will often congregate. Northern crested newts feed mainly on invertebrates. During
1248-427: The area along with the all-weather pitch made up stage 2 of the relocation programme. 57°3′28″N 2°7′59″W / 57.05778°N 2.13306°W / 57.05778; -2.13306 Portlethen Portlethen ( / p ɔːr t ˈ l ɛ θ ən / ; Scottish Gaelic : Port Leathain ) is a town located approximately 7 miles south of Aberdeen , Scotland along the A92 . The population according to
1296-481: The climate rewarmed. The northern crested newt is listed as species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List , but populations are declining. It is rare in some parts of its range and listed in several national red lists. The major reason for decline is habitat destruction through urban and agricultural development, affecting the aquatic breeding sites as well as the land habitats. Their limited dispersal makes
1344-571: The cross of a crested newt male with a marbled newt ( Triturus marmoratus ) female were mistakenly described as distinct species Triton blasii , and the reverse hybrids as Triton trouessarti . T. cristatus was long considered as a single species, the "crested newt", with several subspecies. Substantial genetic differences between these subspecies were, however, noted and eventually led to their recognition as full species, often collectively referred to as " T. cristatus species complex ". There are now seven accepted species of crested newts, of which
1392-508: The deeper parts of a water body, where they hide under vegetation. As with other newts, they have to occasionally move to the surface to breathe air. The aquatic phase serves not only for reproduction, but also offers more abundant prey, and immature crested newts frequently return to the water in spring even if they do not breed. During the terrestrial phase, the newts use hiding places such as logs, bark, planks, stone walls, or small mammal burrows; several individuals may occupy such refuges at
1440-611: The destruction of its habitats, are prohibited in most European countries. The EU habitats directive is also the basis for the Natura 2000 protected areas, several of which have been designated specifically to protect the northern crested newt. Preservation of natural water bodies, reduction of fertiliser and pesticide use, control or eradication of introduced predatory fish, and the connection of habitats through sufficiently wide corridors of uncultivated land are seen as effective conservation actions. A network of aquatic habitats in proximity
1488-618: The embryos to die. Larvae hatch after two to five weeks, depending on temperature. As in all salamanders and newts, forelimbs develop first, followed later by the back legs. Unlike smaller newts, crested newt larvae are mostly nektonic , swimming freely in the water column. Just before the transition to land, the larvae resorb their external gills; they can at this stage reach a size of 7 centimetres (2.8 in). Metamorphosis into terrestrial efts takes place two to four months after hatching, again depending on temperature. Survival of larvae from hatching to metamorphosis has been estimated at
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1536-510: The fourth Tuesday of each month and considers many issues including development proposals and transport. Meetings are open to the public and offer an opportunity to raise topics of relevance to the local community. Portlethen Gala is a social and community event held every summer on the last Saturday in August. Great crested newt Over 40, including: The northern crested newt , great crested newt or warty newt ( Triturus cristatus )
1584-576: The ground, which she then takes up with her cloaca . The eggs are fertilised internally, and the female deposits them individually, usually folding them into leaves of aquatic plants. A female takes around five minutes for the deposition of one egg. They usually lay around 200 eggs per season. Embryos are usually light-coloured, 1.8–2 mm in diameter with a 6 mm jelly capsule, which distinguishes them from eggs of other co-existing newt species that are smaller and darker-coloured. A genetic particularity shared with other Triturus species causes 50% of
1632-401: The introduced Italian crested newt ( T. carnifex ) were found to introgress into the gene pool of the native northern crested newt. The closest relative of the northern crested newt, according to molecular phylogenetic analyses, is the Danube crested newt ( T. dobrogicus ). In western France, the northern crested newt's range overlaps with that of the marbled newt ( T. marmoratus ), but
1680-845: The land phase, prey include earthworms and other annelids , different insects and their larvae, woodlice , and snails and slugs . During the breeding season, they prey on various aquatic invertebrates (such as molluscs [particularly small bivalves ], microcrustaceans, and insects), and also tadpoles and juveniles of other amphibians such as the common frog or common toad , and smaller newts (including conspecifics). Larvae, depending on their size, eat small invertebrates and tadpoles, and also smaller larvae of their own species. The larvae are themselves eaten by various animals such as carnivorous invertebrates and water birds , and are especially vulnerable to predatory fish. Adults generally avoid predators through their hidden lifestyle but are sometimes eaten by herons and other birds, snakes such as
1728-399: The name Triton for a genus of sea snails ten years before, Constantine Samuel Rafinesque introduced the new genus name Triturus in 1815, with T. cristatus as type species . Over 40 scientific names introduced over time are now considered as synonyms , including Lacertus aquatilis , a nomen oblitum published four years before Laurenti's species name. Hybrids resulting from
1776-437: The newts especially vulnerable to fragmentation , i.e. the loss of connections for exchange between suitable habitats. Other threats include the introduction of fish and crayfish into breeding ponds, collection for the pet trade in its eastern range, warmer and wetter winters due to global warming , genetic pollution through hybridisation with other, introduced crested newt species, the use of road salt , and potentially
1824-472: The northern crested newt is the most widespread. The northern crested newt is a relatively large newt species. Males usually reach 13.5 cm (5.3 in) total length, while females grow up to 16 cm (6.3 in). Rare individuals of 20 cm (7.9 in) have been recorded. Other crested newt species are more stockily built; only the Danube crested newt ( T. dobrogicus ) is more slender. Body shape
1872-417: The northern crested newt's former subspecies are now recognised as separate species in the genus Triturus . Its closest relative is the Danube crested newt ( T. dobrogicus ). It sometimes forms hybrids with some of its relatives, including the marbled newt ( T. marmoratus ). Although today the most widespread Triturus species, the northern crested newt was probably confined to small refugial areas in
1920-635: The pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans . The northern crested newt is listed in Berne Convention Appendix II as "strictly protected". It is also included in Annex II (species requiring designation of special areas of conservation) and IV (species in need of strict protection) of the EU habitats and species directive , as a European Protected Species . As required by these frameworks, its capture, disturbance, killing or trade, as well as
1968-461: The riskiest for the newts, while survival is higher in adults. Once the risky stages passed, adult newts usually have a lifespan of seven to nine years, although individuals have reached 17 years in the wild. Adult newts begin moving to their breeding sites in spring when temperatures stay above 4–5 °C (39–41 °F), usually in March. In the aquatic phase, crested newts are mostly nocturnal and, compared to smaller newt species, usually prefer
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2016-441: The same time. Since the newts generally stay very close to their aquatic breeding sites, the quality of the surrounding terrestrial habitat largely determines whether an otherwise suitable water body will be colonised. Great crested newts may also climb vegetation during their terrestrial phase, although the exact function of this behaviour is not known at present. The juvenile efts often disperse to new breeding sites, while
2064-519: The school became too small to accommodate all the pupils and staff. Seven temporary classrooms were added to the school prior to closure. The current Headteacher is Barry Drennan. Aberdeenshire Council commissioned a new school under the PPP Scheme . As early as the turn of the millennium, plans existed for a new school, to be built and managed by Robertson FM , as part of the Government's PPP scheme. It
2112-616: The tolls, duties, customs, and anchorages thereof, and White-fishing in the sea adjacent to said lands.' Much of modern-day Portlethen has been built over the Portlethen Moss Nature Reserve, formerly home to the great crested newt . The remainder of Portlethen Moss is approximately one quarter of the size it was twenty years ago. Portlethen Moss Conservation Group was created to preserve the area. Portlethen has four main shopping areas: Portlethen Retail Park, The Green, Muirend Court and Rowanbank Court. Portlethen has
2160-419: The two species in general prefer different habitats. When they do occur in the same breeding ponds, they can form hybrids, which have intermediate characteristics. Hybrids resulting from the cross of a crested newt male with a marbled newt female are much rarer due to increased mortality of the larvae and consist only of males. In the reverse cross, males have lower survival rates than females. Overall, viability
2208-559: The year on land, mainly in forested areas in lowlands. It moves to aquatic breeding sites, mainly larger fish-free ponds , in spring. Males court females with a ritualised display and deposit a spermatophore on the ground, which the female then picks up with her cloaca . After fertilisation, a female lays around 200 eggs, folding them into water plants. The larvae develop over two to four months before metamorphosing into terrestrial juveniles ( efts ). Both larvae and land-dwelling newts mainly feed on different invertebrates . Several of
2256-773: Was Muriel Thomson: the first female golf professional in Scotland. In December 2014 she was succeeded by Stuart Wilson. The course is a 6,663 yards par 72 with two par 3s and two par 5s in each half. The club has a clubhouse and practice facilities, including a covered driving range, practice bunkers, short-game area and putting green. A Youth drop-in centre was opened in April 2007, in the old library building. There also various youth groups running regularly at Portlethen Parish Church and Jubilee Hall. There are two main parks in Portlethen: Bourtree Park and Nicol Park. Nicol Park has
2304-461: Was built on the playing fields adjacent to the existing Academy. Construction started in June 2004, and was completed by the end of July 2006. Originally set to open in June 2006, for the start of the new timetable, a burst pipe delayed the school's opening until August. The new building opened on 22 August 2006 with a roll of 867. The old school has been knocked down, and the main car park which forms part of
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