Animals That Live in Lake – With Pictures

Three-fourths of our earth is covered by water, with 97% salt water and 3% fresh water. While the world is largely covered by oceans, it also has a significant number of lakes. We can all quickly list the many animals that live on Earth, but when you are asked, what are the types of animals that live in lake? how many can you identify?

Let us help you answer this question. The species of animals that live in the lake are diverse in number. When we say lakes, we mean freshwater ecosystems, including rivers, lakes, streams, canals, and ponds.

This is 3% of the freshwater we talked about earlier. You will be surprised to know that, although it may seem like a small number, you will find more than 100,000 species of plants and animals in freshwater ecosystems!

What Are Some Animals That Live In Lake?

The answer to this interesting question is that water snakes, herons, flamingos, river otters, painted turtles, alligators, frogs, ducks, beavers and aquatic salamanders are some of the animals that live in lakes.

Animals That Live in Lakes

Water Snakes

The first member of the list of animals that live in lakes is water snakes. According to the University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web or ADW, water snakes like to live near any important source of water. These can be lakes, ponds, rivers and swamps. They are found in North America.

Water snakes are mostly non-venomous, although they may bite you as a defense mechanism due to their aggressive nature. These snakes are often killed by humans because they are confused with the poisonous ‘cottonmouth’ or water moccasins.

Water snakes swallow their food whole and usually eat amphibians such as toads, frogs and salamanders, and fish. There are about 10 different species of water snakes.

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Herons

A gray-backed bird that is easily recognizable by its long legs, long neck, and yellow bill that is as bright as the sun! Herons are found on all continents except Antarctica and almost all their species are associated with water.

Since they can’t swim, herons eat at the edges of ponds, lakes, rivers, the sea, and swamps.

Herons are carnivorous birds that live in wetlands and near bodies of water. Their diet consists of aquatic prey including amphibians, reptiles, crustaceans, fish, aquatic insects and mollusks.

Herons usually stand in water. They wait for their prey, such as a frog or fish, to come within reach, and they use their long necks to catch it.

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Flamingo

Flamingos are waterfowl, and their habitat consists of estuarine lagoons, or saline and alkaline lakes that lack vegetation. Lakes can be near the ocean or inland.

A flamingo’s diet consists of small insects, larvae, red and blue-green algae, crustaceans, small fish and mollusks. They are generally non-migratory birds.

However, changes in water levels or climate in flamingo breeding areas can trigger them to migrate. Flamingos have also been found to be monogamous, adding that once paired they stay with the same mate forever.

River Otters

Along with weasels, minks, badgers and wolverines, North American river otters belong to a group of mammals known as mustelids.

River otters are carnivores that consume the majority of their diet as fish. Found in a variety of aquatic habitats, river otters live in both fresh and marine waters, such as lakes, ponds, streams, marshes, and streams.

These mammals are recognized as one of the most intelligent semi-aquatic species, as they are known for their tool use. In addition, they are excellent swimmers that can travel up to 450 yards in a single dive.

North American river otters eat 20 percent of their total body weight per day and sometimes spend 12 hours in the water, hunting for aquatic food.

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Painted Turtles

Did you know, because of its docile nature, the painted turtle is a great option to keep as a pet? Painted turtles usually live 35-40 years, but some live up to 50 years!

Their habitat is slow-moving freshwater, and they can be found in North America.

Painted turtles like to live a life of luxury and enjoy at least 5-6 hours of sun a day. As they bask in the sun, they eat a healthy diet that includes aquatic plants, insects, fish and worms.

Turtles usually eat while in the water. They have been noted to restrict the movement of their tongues when on land.

While painted turtles spend most of their time in the water, females lay eggs/reproduce on land. Once hatched, the babies, called hatchlings, are not cared for by their mothers. Babies have to survive and live on their own from birth.

Alligators

Another animal that lives in lakes is the crocodile. Cold-blooded reptiles are freshwater animals and you won’t find them in oceans.

Although they can survive in alkaline/saline waters for a limited number of hours or even a few days, being primarily freshwater animals, they will quickly migrate to rivers, lakes, ponds, streams or marshes to survive.

You tend to confuse crocodiles with alligators because they resemble each other and belong to the crocodilian family. However, the catch is that alligators exist in both saltwater and freshwater, while alligators only prefer freshwater ecosystems.

Alligators can run at speeds that are faster than most humans, at 35 miles per hour. They are also very good swimmers and use their tails to propel themselves and swim faster.

While piscivores are carnivores that prefer meat, they have also been seen eating fruit!

Frog

There are more than 5,000 different species of frogs around the globe. They are amphibians, and they need moisture to survive.

The interesting thing about these slimy creatures is that they don’t drink water like humans. Instead, their skin absorbs water directly through ‘drinking patches’ found in their stomachs.

Many species of frogs such as green frogs and bullfrogs live in and around aquatic ecosystems such as wetlands, ponds and lakes. However, there are other species of frogs that live in grasslands or forests and return to the waters every year only for the purpose of breeding.

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Ducks

Talking about the animals that live in the lake, ducks must be mentioned. Ducks are animals that live on land and water. Known as waterfowl, these birds are found in places surrounded by water. Like rivers, lakes, streams and ponds.

Ducks live everywhere on Earth, except Antarctica. Some of them are found in freshwater habitats, while others dwell in saltwater. Ducks are brilliant and emotional birds that have been known to live up to 20 years.

They are all carnivorous birds, and their diet includes a variety of things such as small fish, snails, eggs, insects, berries, seeds, grasses and weeds. Did you know, ducks can poop about 96 times a day!

Beaver

One of the largest rodent species in the Northern Hemisphere is the beaver. Both on land and in water, these creatures are to be found. However, they are usually located in their homes made of trees, rocks, mud and other natural materials.

In addition to lakes, beavers also live in ponds, rivers, swamps, and streams. These herbivorous semi-aquatic creatures devour foods derived from plants. Their favorite foods include leaves, woody stems, tree bark, cambium and other aquatic plants.

Being a predator, beavers face many predators in the wild. Coyotes, owls, eagles and otters are among the main enemies these rodents face. To stay safe, beavers spend most of their time in their dens.

In the wild, beavers typically live up to 12 years.

Aquatic Salamander

The last member of our list of animals that live in lakes is the aquatic salamander. Salamanders are amphibians that closely resemble lizards and are found in the Neotropical and Holarctic regions.

There are about a hundred species of salamanders, with most species being about 15 cm or less in length.

There are three types of salamanders, namely aquatic, semi-aquatic and terrestrial. All of the aquatic salamanders’ life is spent in the water.

There are aquatic species such as ‘Amphiumas’ and ‘Sirens’ which have reduced or absent hind limbs, giving them an eel-like appearance. These species have a lateral organ that helps them detect changes in water pressure.

Last Words On Animals That Live In Lakes

Lakes or ponds are formed naturally by snowmelt from mountains or direct rainwater. They are a source of fresh water where aquatic animals and plants can thrive. Don’t forget, there are many artificial or man-made lakes and ponds in the modern world too!

After looking at the above list of animals that live in lakes, we can see that lakes can be occasional habitats for some animal species, for others, they are permanent habitats. A large variety of fishes, amphibians, birds and insects are found in the lakes.

Thank you for reading

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