River and lake animals
Animals of fresh water: fish like trout, carp, piranhas and catfish, and the animals that live in and around rivers and lakes, such as otters, beavers, hippos, platypuses and kingfishers.
It includes a few you might not expect, such as river dolphins, freshwater crabs and the axolotl, which spends its whole life underwater.
64 animals, A to Z.
- AlligatorTwo species of broad-snouted crocodilian: the American alligator of the south-eastern US, and the much smaller Chinese alligator, which is critically endangered.
- AnacondaLarge, semiaquatic boas of tropical South America.
- AngelfishThree species of tall, flat, freshwater cichlids from the Amazon, the Orinoco and rivers of the Guiana Shield in South America.
- AxolotlA Mexican salamander that never goes through metamorphosis: adults keep their feathery external gills and stay in the water.
- Basilisk lizardFour species of large lizards from the rainforests of southern Mexico, Central America and northern South America.
- BassThe largemouth bass, an olive-green freshwater fish with a dark, jagged stripe along each side, native to the eastern and central US, south-eastern Canada and northern Mexico.
- BeaverLarge semiaquatic rodents, the second-largest living rodents after capybaras.
- BeetleInsects whose front wings are hardened into wing-cases.
- BullfrogThe largest true frog in North America, named for the male’s call, which sounds like a bull bellowing.
- CaimanSix species of alligator relatives from Central and South America, living in marshes, swamps, lakes and mangrove rivers and fairly nocturnal.
- CapybaraThe largest living rodent, a semiaquatic grazer found in every South American country except Chile.
- CarpThe common carp is a large freshwater fish of lakes and rivers in Europe and Asia.
- CatfishA huge, varied order of fish named for their whisker-like barbels.
- CormorantAbout 40 species of dark, fish-eating water birds, including the shags.
- CrabArmoured crustaceans with the tail tucked under the body, able to run sideways.
- CrayfishFreshwater relatives of lobsters, also called crawfish or crawdads.
- CrocodileBig, armoured reptiles that ambush prey at the water’s edge across the tropics, from the 1.5 m dwarf crocodile to the saltwater crocodile, which can pass 6 m.
- DolphinAround 40 species of toothed whale, from the 1.7 m Maui’s dolphin to the orca, the largest at 9.5 m.
- DragonflyAbout 3,000 species of fast, agile predatory insects with huge compound eyes and two pairs of strong wings.
- DuckWaterbirds of the same family as geese and swans, but generally smaller and shorter-necked.
- EelAbout 1,000 species of long, snake-like fish, mostly marine.
- Electric eelNocturnal freshwater fish of South America that stun prey with electric shocks.
- FrogTailless, short-bodied amphibians, making up about 88% of all amphibian species.
- GharialA crocodilian of the rivers of the northern Indian subcontinent, and among the longest of all, with a very long, narrow snout and 110 interlocking teeth built for catching fish.
- GoldfishA small freshwater carp native to China, first bred for colour there over 1,000 years ago and now one of the most popular aquarium fish.
- GooseLarge waterfowl, between ducks and swans in size.
- Grass snakeA non-venomous, semi-aquatic Eurasian snake, usually dark green or brown with a yellow or white collar behind the head.
- GuppyA small freshwater fish from north-east South America that gives birth to live young.
- HellbenderA giant aquatic salamander of streams in the eastern and central United States, and the largest amphibian in North America.
- HeronAbout 75 species of long-legged, long-necked wading birds of fresh water and coasts, including the egrets and bitterns.
- HippopotamusA huge, semi-aquatic grazer that spends its days in African rivers and lakes and comes out at night to feed.
- Kingfisher118 species of small to medium, brightly coloured birds with large heads and long, sharp bills.
- LeechSegmented worms related to earthworms, with a sucker at each end.
- LungfishSix species of air-breathing freshwater fish in Africa, South America and Australia, the closest living relatives of land vertebrates.
- MallardA dabbling duck that breeds across the Americas, Eurasia and North Africa and has been introduced to Australia, New Zealand, South America and South Africa.
- ManateeThree species of large, slow, fully aquatic plant-eating mammals, sometimes called sea cows, with paddle-shaped tails.
- MayflyOver 3,000 species of ancient insects with upright wings and long tails.
- MinkThe American mink, a semiaquatic mustelid native to North America.
- MooseThe tallest, largest and heaviest living deer, known as “elk” in British English.
- MosquitoAbout 3,600 species of small flies.
- MuskratA large, semi-aquatic rodent of North American wetlands with thick brown fur and a scaly, flattened tail used as a rudder.
- MusselBivalve molluscs of salt and fresh water with long, uneven shells, often dark blue, black or brown.
- NewtOver 100 species of semiaquatic salamanders in North America, Europe, North Africa and Asia.
- OlmA blind, pale salamander that lives its whole life underwater in the flooded limestone caves of the Dinaric Alps, the only cave-only vertebrate genus in Europe.
- OspreyA large, fish-eating bird of prey, brown above and white below, found near water on every continent except Antarctica.
- OtterSemiaquatic members of the weasel family, with long slim bodies, webbed feet and very dense fur that keeps them warm and buoyant.
- PelicanEight species of large water birds with a long beak and a huge throat pouch, used to scoop up fish and drain out the water before swallowing.
- PiranhaFreshwater fish of South American rivers and floodplains with razor-sharp teeth.
- PlatypusA duck-billed, egg-laying mammal of eastern Australia and Tasmania.
- PufferfishFish that puff up into a ball when threatened.
- SalamanderTailed amphibians with slender, lizard-like bodies and moist skin, which keeps them near water or damp places.
- SalmonFish that hatch in rivers, go to sea to grow, then return to fresh water to spawn, usually in the stream where they hatched.
- SawfishVery large rays with a long, flat snout lined with teeth like a saw.
- Sea spongeSimple animals fixed to the seabed, with bodies full of pores and channels.
- SeagullSeabirds, usually grey and white, with strong bills and webbed feet.
- ShrimpCrustaceans with long bodies, long antennae and thin legs, which swim forward with paddles under the tail and flick backwards to escape.
- SnailA gastropod with a coiled shell big enough to pull itself into.
- StingrayAbout 220 species of flat, cartilaginous fish with a venomous barbed stinger on the tail.
- SturgeonThe Atlantic sturgeon, a big bottom-feeding fish armoured with five rows of bony plates instead of true scales.
- SwanThe largest waterfowl, and among the largest flying birds in their range, with six living species.
- TardigradeAbout 1,500 species of plump, eight-legged micro-animals, usually about 0.5 mm long, also called water bears or moss piglets.
- TroutFreshwater fish closely related to salmon.
- TurtleShelled reptiles, about 360 species, including land-living tortoises, freshwater terrapins and sea turtles.
- ZebrafishA small striped minnow from fresh water in South Asia, sold as the zebra danio and widely used in lab research.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. Every animal, in one list: All animals.