15 Animals That Live In A Lake [Fun Facts + Photos]
Among all freshwater bodies in the world, lakes are an unlimited source of food for many other species. It is home to thousands of animals and plant species alike. There are a lot of animals that make these freshwater lakes their homes all over the world.
Most of these animals are quite common, but not everyone knows about these animals, as these animals are not only found in lakes. So if you want to know about all the animals that live in a lake, then keep on scrolling down.
Animals That Live In A Lake
There are about 120 million lakes in the world, and all these lakes are filled with different types of animals that live in a lake.
So if want to know what are animals that live in a lake, then keep on scrolling to find them out.
1. Fish
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Clade | Olfactories |
| Subphylum | Vertebrata |
| Class | Actinopterygii |
About 41.24% of the freshwater lakes are full of different fish species. These are the most common animals that live in a lake in the whole world.
These fishes make up the highest population of lakes in the world. They provide the biggest food source all around the world.
2. Snake
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Reptilia |
| Order | Squamata |
| Clade | Ophidia |
| Suborder | Serpentes |
There are more than 4000 snake species in the world, and they are great at adapting to any place they might find. But these snakes love to stay near lake water. Other species of snakes, like anacondas, prefer to live most of the time underwater.
Since snakes are cold-blooded animals, the cold water of the lake is great for regulating their body temperature and also hunting for prey.
Snakes usually prey on frogs and fishes around the lake and also on animals that come to drink water from the lake. The snakes are known to glide easier on the water than on land, and even faster.
3. Crocodiles
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Reptilia |
| Order | Crocodilia |
| Superfamily | Crocodyloidea |
| Family | Crocodylidae |
Like most other reptile animals such as alligators, snakes, gavials, and caimans, the crocodile animals that live in a lake water regulate their body temperature and hunt for prey, ofcourse.
These crocodiles usually float under the surface of the lake water and wait for prey to come at them. The crocodiles also lay their build their nest on the shores of the lake.
4. Frogs
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Amphibia |
| Clade | Salientia |
| Order | Anura |
Although you will find frog species adapted to certain desert life, primarily the natural habitat for most frog species are in or around lakes. Humid forests and swamp lands are best for most frog species.
The lake animals, such as frogs, use the water body for such purposes as mating and hunting for food as well.
5. Aquatic Salamanders
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Amphibia |
| Order | Urodela |
| Family | Plethodontidae |
| Genus | Pseudoeurycea |
| Species | P. Aquatica |
An endemic to Mexico, the Salamander are very rare, and only three species of them were ever collected since 1978. Since the original habitat of the animal is destroyed, no evidence of their habitat is known.
However, scientists speculate that this species is almost extinct now, but proving this speculation is still left to be discovered.
6. Turtles
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Reptilia |
| Clade | Pantestudines |
| Clade | Testudinata |
| Clade | Perichelydia |
| Order | Testudines |
Another species of animals that live in a lake is the Turtles. They often settle near shrubbery and forests near a lake since they can’t live without water. Turtles are generally herbivores except for the snapping turtle that eats vertebrae.
Their harder outer shell, which protects the turtle from most predators, puts these turtles on top of the food chain.
7. Freshwater Crabs
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Crustacea |
| Class | Malacostraca |
| Order | Decapoda |
| Suborder | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder | Brachyura |
More than 1300 species of crabs are present in the whole world, except for in Antarctica. Mostly these freshwater crabs are found in subtropical and tropical regions in lakes, swamps, and ponds. These animals are important food sources for many other animals and fishes.
Since they are weak and nocturnal animals, these freshwater crabs fall prey to other animals rather easily.
8. Freshwater Clams
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Subkingdom | Eumetazoa |
| Clade | Parahoxora |
| Clade | Bilateria |
| Clade | Nephrotomia |
| Superphylum | Lophotrochozoa |
Like freshwater crabs, freshwater clams are found in all biomes except for the Antarctica biome. However, these animals may not seem as much, but they are very important for the ecosystem.
These freshwater clams are bioindicators of the water quality and a major food source for a number of animal species.
9. Otters
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Carnivora |
| Superfamily | Mustelidae |
| Family | Lutrinae |
A major part of their lives, the otters stay in or around water bodies, like lakes, tagging them as animals that live in a lake. There are otters who love to live near seas or oceans, although they are quite rare.
These otters are known to tolerate a wide variety of temperatures and elevations, they tend to live near water bodies since it provides them with a steady food supply.
The otters are known to live in holts and dens and in natural burrows. They are known to swim at incredible speed and kill crabs which are a great food source for them.
10. Capybaras
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Rodentia |
| Family | Caviidae |
| Genus | Hydochoerus |
| Species | H. hydrochaeris |
The Capybaras are massive-sized aquatic mammals that live on a lake and surrounding areas as well. They originate from the continent of South America, other than Chile.
These Capybaras are very important as they are the major food source for predators like Caimans, Anaconda, and also Jaguars. These animals are great swimmers and depend on it when trying to escape from predators.
Being herbivores themselves, the aquatic plants are the best source of food for these Capybaras.
11. Water Fowl
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Anseriformes |
| Suborder | Aneseres |
| Superfamily | Anatoidea |
| Family | Anatidae |
The waterfowl are a type of bird that is more adapted towards swimming rather than flying. In the world, there are more than 170 different species of birds or waterfowl.
The fowl tend to build nests near the shore of a slow-moving stream and freshwater lakes. A few of these species of waterfowl are ducks and swans, who can feed themselves by sinking their necks underwater and catching food.
12. Dragonflies
| Animalia | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Class | Insecta |
| Order | Odonata |
| Suborder | Epiprocta |
| Infraorder | Anisoptera |
Dragonflies are a type of insect that lives mostly on lakes; they also live near slow-moving streams and rivers. These dragonflies not just depend on the lake for food, but it is important for reproduction as well.
Dragonflies are a species that lays eggs on top of floating or submerged plants in lakes. These insects never tend to leave their territory until and unless they are looking to mate.
13. Beavers
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Rodentia |
| Family | Castoridae |
| Subfamily | Castorinae |
| Genus | Castor |
The beaver is one of the animals that only live in freshwater lakes. Water is an important part of these beaver’s habitat. They need water for swimming, diving, and also gathering floating logs.
Beavers are known to build dams with the wood that they gather. The beavers prefer slower lakes and streams, which makes it easier to transport the woods.
14. Minks
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Carnivore |
| Family | Mustelidae |
| Subfamily | Mustelinae |
| Genus | Mustela and Neogale |
Minks are a type of animal that depends entirely on water. Fishes and crabs from the lake are the main food source of these minks.
Beside every freshwater lake shore, you are going to find these minks. Due to their nature, minks are very territorial animals, which is why you won’t see more than two minks in one place. The male minks will scare them off.
15. Flamingos
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Oder | Phoenicopteriformes |
| Family | Phoenicopteridae |
These birds are the ones who live in colonies, usually on lakes or on other freshwater bodies in the world. The reason why Flamingos prefer lakes or other streams is because they are still water without any disturbance.
These birds are very beautiful to look at, with different shades of pink on their feathers. With their long necks, they grab fish from underwater as a food source.
Bonus Section
Well, there are a lot of animals that you will able to find in a lake, so why just stop at fifteen, lets have some more.
Herons
Herons are long-legged beautiful birds, that are found near waterbodies in every part of the world. They have excellent hunting skills, and have very sharp eyesight and hunt with the help of their long beaks to acth fish and other small preys.
Herons are also popular for their refined nesting habits.theyhave a habit of building their homes high on cliffs or trees. Herons are mostly calm creatures but they can get aggressive when it comes to protecting their babies or their homes. It is fascinating to watch them or for that matter make them the subject of your study.
Painted Turtles
Painted Turtles are the ones that are most popular for keeping at home. They have a small, vivid colored shell which is not difficult to take care of and looks lovely as well. They can be seen in flowing streamers as well as still lakes.
Painted turtles donot need much for their survival. They eat veggies, pellets along with their natural diet of tiny animals and water plants. Generally, Painted Turtles are tough and can survive for years if they are given the proper care.
Catfish
Catfish are mostly found in lakes and other waterways. They mostly feed on fishes that are found in lakes, insects, leeches, minnows, frogspawn and crayfish. They also eat insect that fall into water.
During nighttime, they move towards the shallow side of the lake as they are good fishing spots. Catfish can be as large as eleven inches, they live mostly in the shallow part of the river or lakes. Cuckoo catfish also have a record of eating ripe fruits that haag from the trees over the waterbodies.
Wrapping Up!
If you are aware of all these amazing creatures, then you should know that these animals don’t only live on the lake, but the freshwater lake is their main habitat.
Animals that live in a lake don’t usually prefer any other water bodies, like saltwater bodies so you won’t find them there.
If you liked this article and the animals that live in a lake, then leave a comment down below to let us know which of these animals you like the most.
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