Pond Organism Visual Guide: Descriptive Version

Biology 101

(For lab use only: these images have been swiped from other websites, and this page will disappear after the lab is over.)

Vertebrate Animals
Ducks	Many species of ducks use ponds, including mallards such as this one.
Raccoon	Larbe-bodied mammals with the characteristic black mask.
Great blue heron	Large birds, about a meter tall or taller, with long legs for wading and a long sharp beak for hunting.
Redwing Blackbird	Medium-sized bird, slightly smaller than a robin. Males have a bright red and yellow wing patch. Characteristic "Kon-kreee!" call.
Garter snake	Small snake with bright stripes. Different species have slightly different patterning of red or yellow stripes and spots.
Deer	Black-tailed deer are most common in Western Oregon, and will find food along forest edges.
Rough-skinned newt & tadpoles	Brick-colored back and bright orange or yellow belly, with nubby skin. Males develop a large, flat tail during mating season, as the newts migrate to ponds.
Bullfrog & Tadpoles	Large frogs, not native to this region and crowding out many native species. Mature adults have a deep, musical croak.
Tree frog & Tadpoles	Western tree frogs have a characteristic black eye band. They spend much of their lives in trees and shrubs and return to the water for breeding. Suckers on their toes help them cling to leaves and branches.
Lungless salamanders & tadpoles	Small salamanders with slender bodies, normally found under rotten logs and other moist places in the forest.
Invertebrate Animals
Mollusks
Snails	Several species of snails inhabit local ponds, some with round shells and some with pointed shells.
Fingernail clams	Tiny freshwater clams, most only a few millimeters across. Very young fingernail clams may have transparent shells.
Segmented worms
Predatory leeches	Small segmented worms with a visible sucker at either end. Usually dark brown, dark red, or black.
Cnidarians
Hydra	Small, and difficult to find. Slender, with thin tentacles. Often white or brown. Hydras are in the same group as jellyfish and sea anemones.
Arthropods
Crayfish	Lobster-like creatures with prominent front claws and a large, muscular tail used for locomotion.
Dragonfly & larvae	Adults are long-bodied insects with two pairs of transparent wings. Rear set of wings is slightly broader than the front set, and they are held level at rest. Larvae are six-legged organisms with a broad head, prominent eyes, and small forks on the end of the abdomen.
Damselfly & larvae	Similar to dragonflies but slightly smaller. Both wings are the same shape, and they are often folded when the insect is at rest. The larvae are more slender-bodied than dragonfly larvae and have three-pronged "fork" at the end of the abdomen.
Stonefly & larvae	Stoneflies are small, dark insects with wings folded at rest and a pair of long, pointed "tails" at the end of the abdomen. Larvae also have these "tails."
Caddisfly & larvae	Adult caddisflies are small, brown insects with long antennae and wings that fold flat. Their larvae form long, protective cases using whatever a material is available in the stream: bits of detritus, tiny pebbles, grains of sand.
Mosquito & larvae	Familiar biting insect with a long proboscis. The larvae float in the water and draw in fresh air through a snorkel-like structure.
Backswimmer	Aggressive insect with the hindmost pair of legs developed into long paddle-like structures. Swims with abdomen up. Air caught between small hair on its back help it float and give it a silvery look in the water. Can inflict a painful bite.
Water boatman	Large aquatic insect with one pair of legs developed into paddles. Swims with abdomen down.
Predacious diving beetle	Large, oval-shaped, shiny black beetle with small "paddles" on its back legs.
Giant water bug	Large insect, with an oval abdomen that comes to a point at the end. Back legs are flattened into swimming structures.
Water strider	.Slender insect with long legs that allow it to rest on the surface tension of still water. Front two legs extend out the front and may be mistake for antennae.
Water fleas (Daphnia)	Tiny crustacean just visible to the naked eye. Carapace is transparent, so internal organs are visible. Active swimmer.
Copepods	Small crustaceans nearly visible to the naked eye. Two long antennae extend in front. The rest of the body is tapered. Females may carry clusters of eggs.
Ostracods	Microscopic crustacens that may be mistaken for clams. Look for the jointed legs that are used for swimming.
Scuds (Amphipods)	Gray, shrimp like arthropods that are active swimmers. Most are a few millimeters long.
Protists
Diatoms	Many species of diatoms exist. Silica shells give them a distinctive shape. Diatoms are major producers in pond and marine ecosystems.
Filamentous green algaes	Spyrogyra and other green algaes form mats in ponds, where small animals may hide.
Cilliated protists (such as Paramecium)	One-celled organisms covered in short cillia, which allow them to be very active.
Amoebae	Asymmetrical one-celled organisms often found on pond bottoms.
Stentor	Large, active, trumpet-shaped cilliate. Green structures inside may be symbiotic algae.
Euglenoids (such as Euglena)	Torpedo-shaped one-celled organisms with chloroplasts, a distinctive red eyespot, and a flagella for locomotion.
Plants
Duckweed and Water Fern		Duckweed (bright green) is a common flowering plant (angiosperm) in pond systems. Water fern (dull green) is a simple vascular plant that does not produce seeds.
Cattail		Tall grasses with a sausage-shaped flowering head.
Rush (has round stems)		Grass-like plants with a round-stemmed flowering head. Rushes usually grow at the margins of ponds where they may be partially submerged.
Sedge (has triangular stems)		Grass-like plant with a triangular stem on the flowering head. Sedges may be partially submerged, or may grow a some distance from ponds so long as they can have continuous moisture.
Willow		Shrubs and trees with long, pointed leaves. Many species of willows exist, and most require moist soil.
Alder		Broad-leaved trees. Leaves have a toothy margin and prominent veins. Usually found near a water source.
Ash		Tall tree with compound leaves and winged seeds. Usually grows in and near ponds, and prefers its roots to be submerged or in very damp soil at least part of the year.
Decomposers
Bacteria		Millions of species of bacteria exist in and around ponds, feeding on dead and decaying material.
Water molds		Now classed with protists instead of fungi, water molds are responsible for decay and for several fish diseases.