Animals of the littoral zone

Animals of this zone may be herbivores, carnivores or detritus feeders and are as diverse as plants. Many of them such as rotifers, protozoans, insect larvae, hydras and bryozoa are neuston as they spend their lives attached to the stem or leaves of rooted plants. Others such as snails, flatworms, and many types of insect nymph and larvae spend their lives moving about the plants. Zooplankton here include species also found in the limnetic as well those that are not.

The latter include larger forms that rest on the rooted vegetation, while they are not actively swimming. The nekton here is rich in small swimming insects particularly such as diving beetles, back swimmers, water boatman, etc., many of which occur also in streams. Many species of fishes like mirrows, sunfish and northern pike are restricted to just this zone while others move freely between here and the open water zone. Vertebrates living on the lake shore are found here and include amphibians, e.g., frogs; reptiles, e.g., turtles and snakes and mammals like beavers and muskrat. Benthos found in or on the floor underlying the littoral zone are diverse. Most of them are detritus feeders; though some are carnivores.