Science 1-26a—Freshwater Biome Types of Freshwater Animals Lakes Rivers Streams Ponds Creeks Marshes Even ditches, gutters, canals, and puddles can be a freshwater habitat because animals will use them for survival. Other Interesting Facts A large variety of animals live in freshwater habitats: frogs, crab, shrimp, turtles, fish, manatee, and various insects live in the water. Living around the water you can find beaver, raccoon, possum, bears, foxes, many kinds of birds, and other animals that rely on the water as a drinking source. Worms, snakes, salamanders, insects like mosquitoes, flies, and dragonflies are also abundant near fresh water. Freshwater Biome More than 700 species of fish (41 percent of the fish species found on Earth) and 1,200 species of amphibians, mollusks, and insects live in freshwater biomes. The Florida Everglades in the United States is the biggest freshwater biome in the world. 70 % of the Earth's surface is covered by water; only 2.5% of it is fresh water, which includes ice caps and glaciers. The rest of it is salt water. Plants There are plenty of plants in freshwater areas including grass, spike rush, bull rush, pickerel weed, cattail, and water lily. You will also find many different trees and bushes. Cyanobacteria is the blue and green algae that you will find in most freshwater biomes, and many insects and small animals in the water feed on this algae. Information taken from http://bioexpedition.com/freshwater-biome/ and http://www.buzzle.com/articles/freshwater-biome-animals.html © 2012 American Heritage Schools, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for copying of the notebook pages and other online resources for use by the original purchaser’s own immediate family. No part of this publication may be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.