The types of animals that live in a lake are many in number. Lakes means the freshwater ecosystems which include the rivers, lakes, creeks, streams, and ponds.
Here are some animals that live in lake;
1.Alligators. They are cold blooded reptiles that are freshwater animals. They can not be found in an ocean. These animals live only in lakes,streams,rivers,ponds,or swampy area in order for them to survive. They only stay in salty waters for limited hours or few days. They look like crocodiles but are not crocodiles. The Alligators can swim faster and run faster than most humans. Their scientific name is Alligator and they are carnivorous in nature. This is because they feed on meats but they also enjoy fruits too.
2.Duck. Ducks are called ‘waterfowl’. This is because they love the water and are usually found in the lakes,ponds,rivers,wetlands,oceans and marshes. They are in the Anatidae family and sometimes confused with loons,or grebes and coots. You find them in warmer areas where they can rest and raise their young ones. They are seen everywhere around the world except for Antarctica which is very cold for them.
3.Beavers. Beavers are Rodent and herbivorous in nature. Its scientific name is Castor. They live in the lakes and near the lakes. They can also be found in the river,pond,and also in the wetland. Beavers feed on plants such as leaves,roots of aquatic vegetation as well as grasses when on land. One interesting thing about them is that they build dams to form a pond for their home.
4.Bass. Its scientific name is Micropterus salmoides. Bass is a type of animal fish and they are omnivorous in nature. They live in lakes and also in different types of water. Bass often uses rock and weeds as shelter and you find them in open waters where food is enough.
5.Catfish. This type of animal falls under the fish family. Its scientific name is siluriformes and it is omnivorous in nature. They are found in rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds. This is because they are called button feeders. They feed on other fish. They some times eat insects that fall into the water as well as aquatic vegetation. One notable thing about them is that they have this strong sense of smell,they uses to look for food at night when there is scarcity of food.
6.Crayfish. Crayfish is a type of animal called Crustacean and its scientific name is Cambarus sp. This type of fish is omnivorous in nature which feed on dead animals carcasses,insects,plants and other invertebrates which includes crayfish themselves as well as tadpoles and small fish. You find them under the rocks where they hide from their predators.
7.Flamingos. Flamingos lives around the lakes and build their nest in large and shallow lakes. They also like salt water. They are birds that have bright pink,red, orange and white feathers that makes them one of the most colourful animal found on earth. They have long legs and a curved peak that enable them to dig for food in the shallow waters of the lake. When these birds are flying,they look so beautiful due to their colour and how they stretch out their necks and legs.
8.Snails. Some species of snail can live in or around lakes. They feed on plants such as algae that can be found on aquatic plants and rocks around the lakes and other water bodies. Snails lay their eggs in the water that hatch into baby snails.
9.Frogs. There are different types of frogs such as wood frogs, American bullfrogs, green frogs and more. All these type of frogs live in the lake area. You find most species of frog in lakes, ponds, streams and rivers. This is because they need fresh water to survive so living in the fresh water habitats helps them to catch their prey such as small fish and insects easily.
10.Clams. Clams are animals that are bottom feeders and filter feeders that are found in fresh water bodies. They are filter feeders because, they get their food such as algae, plankton,and decaying plants from the water. The filtering habits of clams allows lakes to reduce the number of bacteria in them.
