Search

Search: Only in category "Wildlife'" All sites

Amphibians (9)
Crustaceans (2)
Insects (7)

1. Amphibians
Amphibians (class Amphibia), such as frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and gymnophiona, are cold-blooded animals that metamorphose from a juvenile, water-breathing form to an adult, air-breathing form. Typically, amphibians have four limbs. Unlike other land animals (amniotes), amphibians lay eggs in water, as their fish ancestors did.
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/amphibians/amphibians.php

2. Aquatic Insects
Aquatic insects live some portion of their life cycle in the water. They feed in the same ways as other insects. Some diving insects, such as predatory diving beetles, can hunt for food underwater where land-living insects cannot compete.
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/insects/aquaticinsects.php

3. Common Frog (Rana temporaria)
The Common Frog, Rana temporaria also known as the European Common Frog or European Common Brown Frog is found throughout much of Europe as far north as well north of the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia and as far east as the Urals, except for most of Iberia, southern Italy, and the southern Balkans. The furthest west it can be found is Ireland, where it is an introduced species.
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/amphibians/ranatemporaria.php

4. Common Toad (Bufo bufo)
The common toad (Bufo bufo) or European toad is widespread throughout Europe, with the exception of Ireland and some Mediterranean islands. Its easterly range extends to Irkutsk in Siberia and its southerly range includes parts of northwestern Africa in the northern mountains of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/amphibians/bufobufo.php

5. Damselflies
Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are insects in the order Odonata. Damselflies are similar to dragonflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most damselflies are held along, and parallel to, the body when at rest.
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/insects/damselflies.php

6. Daphnia
Daphnia are small, planktonic crustaceans, between 0.2 and 5 mm in length. Daphnia are members of the order Cladocera, and are one of the several small aquatic crustaceans commonly called water fleas because of their saltatory swimming style (although fleas are insects and thus only very distantly related).
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/crustaceans/daphnia.php

7. Dragonflies
A dragonfly is an insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body.
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/insects/dragonflies.php

8. Gammarus Shrimp
Gammarus pulex, sometimes incorrectly called the \"common freshwater shrimp\", is a freshwater amphipod. The adult Gammarus pulex is typically around 11 mm long (though males can be up to 20 mm), with a curved, brown-yellow body.
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/crustaceans/gammarusshrimp.php

9. Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus)
The Great Crested Newt, Northern Crested Newt or Warty Newt (Triturus cristatus) is a newt in the family Salamandridae, found across Europe and parts of Asia. It is a protected species under schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which covers England, Wales and Scotland, and under equivalent legislation in Northern Ireland.
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/amphibians/trituruscristatus.php

10. Marsh Frog (Rana ridibunda)
The Marsh Frog (Rana ridibunda) is the largest frog native to Europe, and belongs to the family of true frogs. It is very similar in appearance to the closely related Edible Frog and Pool Frog. These three species are often referred to as \'green frogs\' to distinguish them from the other, more terrestrial, European Rana species, which are known as \'brown frogs\' (best exemplified by the Common Frog Rana temporaria).
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/amphibians/ranaridibunda.php

11. Mayflies
Mayflies are insects which belong to the Order Ephemeroptera (from the Greek ephemeros = \"short-lived\", pteron = \"wing\", referring to the short life span of adults).
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/insects/mayflies.php

12. Midges
Midges comprise many kinds of very small two-winged flies. The term does not encapsulate a well-defined taxonomic group, but includes animals in several families of Nematoceran Diptera.
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/insects/midges.php

13. Natterjack Toad (Bufo calamita)
The Natterjack Toad (Epidalea calamita, formerly Bufo calamita) is a toad native to sandy and heathland areas of Northern Europe. Adults are 60 - 70 mm in length and are distinguished from the common toad by a yellow line down the middle of the back. They have relatively long legs, and this gives them a distinctive gait, contrasting with the hopping movement of many other toad species.
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/amphibians/bufocalamita.php

14. Palmate Newt (Triturus helveticus)
The Palmate Newt (Lissotriton helveticus) is a species of newt found in most of Western Europe, including Great Britain. It is protected by law in all countries where it occurs, and is thought to be extremely rare to endangered in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg and vulnerable in Germany, but common elsewhere.
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/amphibians/triturushelveticus.php

15. Pond Skaters
The family Gerridae contains insects commonly known as water striders, water bugs, magic bugs, pond skaters, skaters, skimmers, water scooters, water skaters, water skeeters, water skimmers, water skippers or Jesus bugs.
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/insects/pondskaters.php

16. Pool Frog (Rana lessonae)
The Pool Frog (Rana lessonae) is a European frog. It is one of only three amphibian species recognized by the UK government as protected under its Biodiversity Action Plan. The reasons for declining populations are decreased pond habitat from human encroachment and also air pollution leading to over-nitrification of pond waters.
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/amphibians/ranalessonae.php

17. Smooth newt (Triturus vulgaris)
The Smooth Newt (Triturus vulgaris), also known as the Common Newt or Lissotriton vulgaris is the most common newt species of the Triturus genus of amphibians. It is found throughout Europe except the far north, areas of Southern France, and the Iberian peninsula.
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/amphibians/triturusvulgaris.php

18. Water Beetles
Water beetles are beetles that are adapted to living in water. Water beetles rise to the water surface and take atmospheric air into their tracheal systems. There are approximately 2000 species of water beetles.
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/insects/waterbeetles.php

19. Wildlife Gardens
A wildlife garden is an environment that is attractive to various forms of wildlife such as birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects, mammals etc.
http://www.pondlife.me.uk/gardens/wildlifegarden.php