Freshwater Animals: 50+ Animals That Call This Biome Their Habitat

The aquatic biome is divided into two categories – marine and freshwater. The latter is water containing less than 500 parts per million of dissolved salts. This liquid occurs naturally in lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers.

Even though the total freshwater ecosystem is less than 0.01% of the planet’s surface water, it can still support over 125,000 species. This number includes both aquatic and semi-aquatic animals. Naturally, the most common freshwater animal is the fish.

But we shouldn’t drag this introduction! After all, we’re about to present more than 50 animals that live and prosper in the freshwater biome. As such, get your table-reading (or search) skills ready as you’re about to be blasted away with fresh(water) information!

50+ Animals That Call the Freshwater Biome Their Habitat

school of Yellow Perch — There’s so much more to the
*freshwater biome*
than just fish and aquatic animals.
©RLS Photo/Shutterstock.com

Before we begin, it’s essential to explain exactly what a biome is. Looking at freshwater, some might think that only animals living in this type of water can be mentioned in the table below.

However, per the definition, a biome is a large area characterized by vegetation, soil, climate, and wildlife. As such, while the heron doesn’t spend its whole life in freshwater bodies as it’s not a very good swimmer, this bird is tied to this particular biome – as its main food sources live in freshwater.

In short, if a species is tied to the freshwater biome one way or another, it will most likely end up being mentioned in a table like the one below. After all, there’s so much more to the freshwater biome than just fish and aquatic animals!

Before discussing more than 50 freshwater animals, it’s essential to mention that not all species in the genera mentioned below reside in freshwater habitats. At the same time, some can be found in both marine and freshwater environments.

Animal	Scientific Name	Distribution	Type of Animal	Characteristic Features
American alligator	Alligator mississippiensis	United States, Mexico	Reptile	Largest alligator, bony nasal bridge, presents a fourth tooth
Axolotl	Ambystoma mexicanum	Valley of Mexico	Amphibian	External gills, caudal fin extending from behind the head, wide heads, lidless eyes
Buru babirusa	Babyrusa babyrussa	Buru island of Indonesia, Sula Islands of Mangole, Taliabu	Mammal	Long and thick brownish body hair
Eurasian beaver	Castor fiber	Asia, United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Continental Europe	Mammal	Largest living rodent species
European bitterling	Rhodeus amarus	Europe	Ray-finned fish	Up to 4 inches long
Caecilian	Gymnophiona (order)	South and Central America, Africa, southern Asia	Amphibian	Limbless, vermiform/serpentine amphibians
Carp	Cyprinidae (family)	Europe, Asia	Ray-finned fish; oily freshwater fish	Scales and teeth on the inferior pharyngeal bones
Eurasian coot	Fulica atra	Europe, Asia, New Zealand, North Africa, Australia	Bird	Slaty-black body, glossy back head, white bill
Crab	Brachyura (infraorder)	Worldwide in oceans, freshwater, on land	Crustacean	Thick exoskeleton, a pair of pincers
Crayfish	Astacoidea and Parastacoidea (superfamilies)	Mainly North America, Australia, and New Zealand	Crustacean	Feather-like gills; don’t survive in polluted water
Dipper	Cinclus (genus)	Americas, Asia, Europe, Africa (highlands)	Bird	Small, short-tailed, stout, chunky
Dragonfly	Anisoptera (infraorder)	Worldwide, except in Antarctica	Insect	Large compound eyes, transparent wings, elongated body
Electric eel	Electrophorus (genus)	Southern South America	Ray-finned fish	Elongated, cylindrical body, dark gray-brown on the back
Frog	Anura (order)	Worldwide, except in Antarctica	Amphibian	Extremely varied characteristics, according to species.
Gull	Laridae (family)	Worldwide (including Antarctica and the high Arctic)	Bird	Rounded tail, long legs, webbed feet, slightly hooked bill
Heron	Ardeidae (family)	Worldwide, except in Antarctica	Bird	Long necks, strong and long legs, harpoon-like bill
Newt	Pleurodelinae (subfamily)	North America, North Africa, Asia, Europe	Amphibian; salamander	Varied, depending on the species
Piranha	Serrasalmidae (family)	In the Amazon basin, in the rivers of the Guianas, and in the Sao Francisco River.	Ray-finned fish	Single row of sharp teeth, small size, strong jaws
Great white pelican	Pelecanus onocrotalus	Africa, Asia, Europe	Bird	Huge bird, dull pale-yellow gular pouch, pink/yellow bill
Shrimp	Caridea and Dendrobranchiata (suborders)	Worldwide	Crustacean	Elongated body, eight pairs of appendages, muscular abdomen, eyes on stalks
Shelduck	Tadorna (genus)	Europe, Asia, North Africa, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Eastern Russia, East Asia	Bird	Mid-sized, 19.6 – 23.6 inches, green, black, and white colorations, feeds on small shore animals.
Turtle	Testudines (order)	Worldwide on continents, islands, and in oceans	Reptile	Shell developed from the ribs and made mostly of bone, solid and rigid skull.
Warbler	Passeriformes (order)	Depends on the species	Perching bird	Small, colorful, vocal, feeds on insects
Wigeon	Mareca (genus)	The Palearctic, North America, and South America	Birds; dabbling ducks	Steep forehead, distinctive breeding plumage in males, feeds on grass leaves.
X-ray tetra	Pristella maxillaris	In the Amazon and Orinoco basins, in the rivers of the Guianas	Ray-finned fish; characin	Translucent body, small, measuring around 2 inches long
Fishing cat	Prionailurus viverrinus	South and Southeast Asia	Mammal; wild cat	Yellowish-gray fur, two black stripes on the cheeks and two above the eyes, two rows of spots around the throat
Raccoon	Procyon lotor	North America	Mammal	Measures 16 – 28 inches long, grayish coat with dense underfur, known for its facial mask
Arowana	Osteoglossinae (subfamily)	South America, Asia, and Australia	Ray-finned fish; bony fish	Bony head, elongated body covered with large scales
Capybara	Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris	South America	Mammal; rodent	Barrel-shaped body, short head, reddish-brown fur that’s yellowish-brown underneath
Archerfish	Toxotes (genus)	India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Northern Australia, and Melanesia	Ray-finned fish	Deep, laterally compressed body, measures around 5 – 7 inches
Jacana	Jacana (genus)	In the American tropics and subtropics, western Panama	Bird	Long neck, long yellow bill, black-brown coloration, pale yellow-green feathers
Yangtze finless porpoise	Neophocaena asiaeorientalis	The Yangtze River in China	Mammal; toothed whale	Grows up to around 7 feet long, curved flippers with pointed ends, slender body
White sturgeon	Acipenser transmontanus	In the Eastern Pacific	Ray-finned fish	Gray to brownish dorsal side, pale ventral side, gray fins, around 5.2 feet long
Palmate newt	Lissotriton helveticus	Western Europe	Amphibian	2 – 3.7 inches long, brown or olive with dark spots
Medicinal leech	Hirudo medicinalis	Europe and Asia	Annelid worm	Green, brown, or brown-green, has a thin red stripe on the dorsal side, and three jaws with 100 sharp edges.
Grebe	Podicipedidae (family)	Worldwide, except in Antarctica	Bird	Small to medium-large, excellent swimmer, dense, waterproof plumage
Glyphis	Glyphis (genus)	Southeast Asia and Australia	Cartilaginous fish; river shark	Stocky body with a high back, wide and flattened head, rounded snout
Crane fly	Tipulidae (family)	Depends on the species	Insect	Slender body, stilt-like legs, long rostrum
Garter snake	Thamnophis (genus)	North and Central America	Reptile; snake	Large, round eyes, slender bodies, longitudinal stripes
Cottonmouth	Agkistrodon piscivorus	Southeastern United States	Reptile; pit viper	Broad head, blunt snout, black, brown, gray, and olive color patterns
Hippopotamus	Hippopotamus amphibius	sub-Saharan Africa	Mammal	Wide-opening mouth, canine tusks, almost hairless body, pillar-like legs
Snail	Gastropoda (class)	Worldwide	Gastropod	Highly depends on the snail type
Water voles	Arvicola (genus)	Europe, Asia, Western North America	Mammal	Thick fur, hairy fringes on feet, reach 4.7 – 8.6 inches long without tail
Xenopoecilus	Xenopoecilus (genus)	Sulawesi, Indonesia	Ray-finned fish	Depends on the species
Irrawaddy dolphins	Orcaella brevirostris	Bay of Bengal, Southeast Asia	Mammal	Gray to dark blue, pale underneath, small, triangular dorsal fin, high, rounded forehead
Flamingo	Phoenicopteridae (family)	The Americas, Afro-Eurasia	Wading bird	Pinkish or bright red plumage, long neck, two long legs
Otter	Lutrinae (subfamily)	Depends on the species	Mammal	Long, slim body, short limbs, sharp claws, long tails
Hellbender	Cryptobranchus alleganiensis	Eastern and central United States	Amphibian; giant salamander	Flat head and body, short legs, four toes on front legs and five on back limbs, rudder-shaped tail
Diving beetle	Dytiscidae (family)	Depends on the species	Insect; water beetle	Blackish, dark brown, or dark olive
Caiman	Caimaninae (subfamily)	Mexico, Central, and South America	Reptile; alligatorid	Small-sized, lacks a bony septum, longer and sharper teeth
Water strider	Gerridae (family)	Europe, North America, South America, Asia, South Africa, Australia	Insect	Elongated body and legs, two antennae, long and narrow thorax