From the surface, ponds look tranquil and peaceful; you wouldn’t expect a whole ecosystem to be living in it, but it’s down below where all the action takes place.
In fact, pond occupants are among the most diverse group of creatures in the world – with over 1000 species of animals inhabiting ponds!
From fish, invertebrates, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds, ponds are unexpectedly lively places with a diverse group of animals. With this in mind, this article will be exploring the most common animals found living (see also: Animals That Live In The Abyssal Zone)in ponds.
All About Ponds
Typically, a pond is a body of freshwater, whether this is natural or artificial, and is shallower and smaller than lakes. Unlike rivers, ponds contain still water and are home to thousands of living organisms.
They can nurture animals that adapt to their environment, from small species including mosquitoes to large animals such as alligators.
You can find ponds all around the world; however, they can be prone to floods and droughts depending on the area.
Below, you will find 15 animals that live in ponds:
Fish
When thinking about a pond, the first thing that may come to mind is fish. These are aquatic limbless animals that live in bodies of water. Whether this is the ocean, lakes, or, of course, ponds, you’ll find a diverse range of fishes living here.
A few fish you may find in a pond include freshwater fish such as fathead minnow, largemouth bass, bluegill, and much more.
Freshwater Snails
Freshwater snails are a type of mollusk that mainly lives in lakes, rainforests, and ponds. Their diet consists of excess food from other organisms, algae, and small water debris.
Freshwater snails are slow-moving creatures. They are also known to carry a dangerous parasitic disease called schistosomiasis.
Leeches
Leeches are a variety of predatory worms that live mainly in lakes, wet rainforests, and ponds. They are made up of a total of 32 segments, with soft, muscular bodies.
Each segment contains its own brain. A leech’s diet includes sucking blood from frogs, fishes, and lizards.
Newts
Newts are semiaquatic, meaning that they spend most of their year in the water for reproduction and the other parts on land. Newts are salamanders, with a similar look to frogs and lizards.
Generally, they live in freshwater habitats and cold ecosystems such as ponds. They can regenerate parts of their limbs, jaws, eyes, spinal cords, hearts, intestines, and even brains.
Frogs
Frogs are a species belonging to the amphibians, they typically prefer to live in colder ecosystems, such as ponds.
Frogs are carnivorous and their favorite meals include insects, such as flies and months, as well as larger organisms such as snails, worms, and slugs.
Ponds make the perfect place for frogs to lay their eggs among vegetation, where tadpoles will grow and eat the pond’s algae to become frogs.
Ponds are home to everything a bird would need to eat to survive such as fish, worms, and frogs. The most common bird found in ponds is herons.
Worms
Worms are limbless creatures containing no arms, legs, or eyes, with a cylindrical body. Their diet consists mainly of decaying roots and leaves.
A strange fact about worms is that they breathe through their skin. The reason for this is that worms don’t have noses or even lungs.
Water Beetles
Water beetles are a variety of beetles that have adapted to live near water or in water.
These insects are harmless and will usually fly away if disturbed. When in ponds, water beetles feed on algae and detritus; however, some species of beetle are carnivorous.
Pond Skaters
If you’re looking at a pond, these insects are usually what you notice first. Pond skaters, or water striders, are insects that typically live in lakes, slow-moving rivers, and ponds.
These animals are famous for walking on water, although they can also fly and jump.
Dragonflies
Dragonflies are a type (see also: 7 Types Of Beautiful Dragonflies)of flying insect that can fly up to an impressive 30 miles per hour. In addition to their speed, they are also one of the most beautiful insects in the world – known for their colorful bodies and wings.
A dragonflies diet consists of moths, small insects, butterflies, mosquitos, and bees.
Water Scorpions
Water scorpions, also known as nepidaes, are a variety of insects that live primarily in wet habitats, feeding on insects, tadpoles, tiny fishes, and invertebrates. Despite being called water scorpions, these insects aren’t amazing swimmers.
Snakes
Snakes are predatory reptiles that are deadly to most animals already listed. Ponds make the perfect home for snakes as these habitats contain most of their food.
Species such as garter snakes enjoy these habitats as they are the primary predator of insects and small fishes.
Mosquitos
Mosquitos are a variety of fly that lives mostly in dark and cold areas such as forests and ponds. Their primary source of food is feeding on the blood of animals, (see also: Animals That Drink Blood)as well as honeydew from plants.
An interesting fact about mosquitos is that they have been around since the Jurassic ages.
Water Boatmen
These are a variety of aquatic insects that live in freshwater habitats such as ponds. The main method of hunting consists of floating around the pong for marine plants and invertebrates.
Much like the water scorpions, despite their name, water boatmen can’t swim. However, in the summer months, they can fly.
Ducks
Ducks are a variety of waterfowl species that are smaller than swans and geese. They can usually be found in artificial ponds, living on every continent in the world, except Antarctica.
Final Thoughts
Ponds are diverse ecosystems, full of a variety of species of animals. Hopefully, this guide has informed you all about the different types of animals living (see also: Animals That Live In Tide Pools)in ponds.
Hi, I’m Olivia Kepner and I am a zookeeper here in San Diego. Since I was a young girl I have always been fascinated by animals and species across the globe.
I used to beg my parents to take me to our local zoo every single weekend. Well, I say local – it was more like a two hour drive away. But they took me as much as they could, allowing me to fall in love with the animals again and again.
