Lakes and Ponds: Animals

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Lakes and ponds have four zones that are home to many plants and animals.

As you explore those animals in this lesson, create an outline with the information you learn. (If you have a lakes and ponds outline started, add to that one.)

Animals rely on lakes and ponds as humans do!

• What are some animals you have seen in or around lakes and ponds?

The most common animals that are found in lakes and ponds are fish!

Fish are animals that live in the water their entire lives. They have gills that allow them to breathe underwater.

Some common fish found in lakes and ponds include bass, carp, trout, cod, flounder, and mackerel. Fish come in many shapes and sizes.

A great example of a fish found in lakes and ponds is a flounder. These fish have great camouflage. You can usually find them lying at the bottom of lakes and ponds.

Their flat, brown bodies allow them to lie at the bottom of the lake and blend in with their surroundings. Since they spend so much time lying on the ground, their eyes are at the top of their head.

• Did you know that baby flounder are born with eyes on the sides of their heads?

They spend so much time laying flat at the bottom of the water that one of their eyes moves towards the top of their head. Check out the flounder below.

• Can you see the eyes on the top of its head?

Don't forget to add flounder to your outline.

Frogs, like bullfrogs, are also found in and around lakes and ponds.

Bullfrogs have webbed feet that allow them to swim quickly through the water. Bullfrogs are amphibians that lay their eggs in lakes and ponds. Their babies hatch as tadpoles and grow into frogs.

Check out the bullfrog below. Make sure you add bullfrogs to your outline.

Another example of an animal that is commonly found in and around lakes and ponds is a snail.

Snails have a soft body and a hard shell that is used to protect them. If a snail comes in contact with a predator, it will return to its shell to protect itself.

Don't forget to add snails to your outline.

Zooplankton can also be found in lakes and ponds. They are microscopic organisms. This means they are tiny animals.

Zooplankton floats around in lakes and ponds, making a great food source for small animals. Zooplankton eats other microscopic animals. The image below shows zooplankton.

You did an excellent job reading about animals found in lakes and ponds!

• Did you add flounder, bullfrogs, snails, and zooplankton to your outline?
• Did you include facts about each animal?

Great!

Once you think your outline is complete, move on to the Got It? section.