Perch are most commonly found in freshwater bodies of water such as small ponds, lakes, streams, or rivers.
They feed on smaller fish, shellfish, or insect larvae.
Perch have long, rounded bodies. On the anterior side of their head are the maxilla and lower mandible for the mouth, nostrils, and lidless eyes. On the posterior sides are the opercula that protect the gills and the lateral line system which is sensitive to vibrations in the water. They have paired pectoral and pelvic fins, and two dorsal fins.
Fun Fact: Perch lay their eggs in long, connected ribbons unlike any other fish!
Grasshoppers live in dry, open, grasslands among low plants, but some species can be found in jungles and forests.
While grasshoppers may look like they are vicious hunters, because of their mandibles and legs that allow for high jumping, grasshoppers are strict herbivores. They feed on plant life, and can often destroy crop when feasting in large groups known as locusts.
Grasshoppers utilize tracheal breathing to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide between their tissues.
Fun fact: Grasshoppers existed long before dinosaurs! The ancestors of our modern day grasshoppers evolved well over 200 millions year ago, during the Triassic period, when the first reptiles appeared on Earth. The fossil record shows that primitive grasshoppers first appeared during the Carboniferous period, more than 300 million years ago. Most ancient grasshoppers are preserved as fossils, although grasshopper nymphs are occasionally found in amber.
Earthworms are found everywhere: parks, forests, rivers, and trees. More of them are found in moist, wet environments. They are usually found in burrowed deep in the dirt during the winter season and rise up the top of the soil once summer hits.
Earthworms eat leaves, animal fecal matter, dirt and dead grass as well, for it provides all the nutrients necessary for them.
Earthworms do not have lungs and thus they breathe through their skin; that’s why earthworms need to be an environment where their skin can be moist at all times. That is how they are able to breathe oxygen.
Fun Fact: Earthworms eat so much that they produce waste that is equal to their own weight every 24 hours!
Crayfish are found basically anywhere that contains water! This includes, streams, ponds, rivers, marshes, swamps, lakes, and drainage ditches.
They will eat anything from detritus found in their habitat to snails and shrimp and everything in between.
Crayfish breathe through feather-like gills.
Fun Fact: Crayfish have many nicknames, including crawfish, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, and mudbugs. Over 350 species of the 500 crayfish species of the world live in the United States!
Clams live in sand or sand-mud buried as deep as the length of their siphons. They are found in freshwater and marine habitats.
Clams eat plankton by pumping water through their bodies and filtering them through their gills.
Like fish, clams breathe through their gills. The gill hairs move across water so that water can circulate through the clam’s body via hind end of the clam. Gills can exchange the “watery matter” for oxygen and food through the rear end. Consequently, this is how clams eat too.
Fun Fact: There are over 15,000 different species of clams all over the world!
