it is a nektonic species: it swims freely and is independent of currents. The absence of predatory fish may also explain why T. carnifex is inclined to ponds, rather than other larger bodies of water.

They typically prefer ponds in northern Europe, where temperatures are colder . Adult T. carnifex start to arrive between February and May, and leave between July and October. In warmer ponds, adult newts arrive within a month and leave during a two-week period in July. Andreone and Giacoma (1989) speculated