• Question: what wildlife do you see in the lakes?

    Asked by anon-258190 to Steve T on 1 Jul 2020.
    • Photo: Steve Thackeray

      Steve Thackeray answered on 1 Jul 2020:

      Thanks for your question! There is so much to find. A lot of people are most familiar with the fish that live in lakes, like pike, perch and roach (especially if you like fishing) and the birds that you might see on or over the water, like cormorants, various ducks, and gulls (especially if you are a birdwatcher).

      However, there are lots and lots of species that aren’t as obvious, but are really very important to the way that the ecosystem works. There are lots of interesting aquatic insects that live either near the shore (dragonfly and damselfly nymphs, water boatmen, diving beetles) or in the muds at the bottom of the lake (different types of fly larvae, that look a little worm-like). Alongside these insects are crustaceans (freshwater shrimps, and woodlouse-like freshwater hoglice), molluscs (pond snails) and other groups (leeches, flatworms, and worms).

      Even trickier to see are the microscopic plants and animals that live in the open water, called plankton. These organisms are fractions of millimeters in size, and are very very diverse (hundreds of species in one lake). Some of the animal plankton are tiny crustaceans, and some belong to totally different groups of animals that only exist in the plankton.

      So, lake wildlife is extremely diverse and fascinating. Under the water, there is so much going on – animals competing for mates and food, preying upon each other and performing amazing behaviours. I hope this is a good introduction 🙂

Comments

  • Photo: Helen

    Helen commented on :

    The tiny animals that live in lakes are so beautiful!

  • Photo: Gareth

    Gareth commented on :

    In Scotland, where I live, we call lakes lochs. The ones that I visit almost always have ducks and swans, but I have been visiting one that is a short walk from my home and have been lucky enough to see loads of other species. These have been beaver, otter, Daubenton’s bats, moorhens, frogs, toads, dragonflies, and trout! Healthy lochs and lakes are a haven for wildlife and plants, and can support hundreds or even thousands of species.