The two great environments in which animals develop are the terrestrial and the aquatic, but within each of these we find a diversity of ecosystems with evident differences. In this sense, there is a distinction between terrestrial and aquatic animals, since each group has developed specific traits or adaptations for one or another medium. However, as the animal world is so diverse and complex, there are certain species with both characteristics, that is, they develop some actions in the water and others on land to such an extent that they must necessarily share their lives between the two environments.. In this article on our site, we present information about 33 terrestrial and aquatic animals, types and examples
What are the land and water animals?
Land and aquatic animals are those that share their life between both environments, so some of their basic functions such as reproducing, eat and rest are carried out in one or another of these spaces. It should be noted that it is common to use the terms semi-terrestrial or semi-aquatic for this type of animal that is distributed among these habitats.
An important aspect to bear in mind is that, in many cases, these animals are forced to carry out certain activities on land or in water because they do not have specific adaptations for a single medium. For example, some can only sleep or rest on land, but eat in the water. Another example is that some only get to reproduce in the water but feed and take refuge on land.
Characteristics of terrestrial and aquatic animals
Land and aquatic animals in general have certain characteristics that they share with the rest of the species that inhabit one or another of these environments. Let's find out what they are:
Respiration of semi-terrestrial or semi-aquatic animals
The respiration of terrestrial and aquatic animals depends on the group or species to which they belong. Therefore, we can say that:
- Those mammals that inhabit both environments: they breathe through lungs like the rest of their species. What happens is that in some cases they have a greater capacity to stay underwater for longer, having a very efficient way of breathing.
- On the other hand, certain reptiles that are terrestrial and aquatic animals at the same time can have: lung breathing, as is the case of some species of snakes, which have only one functional lung and helps them buoyancy. On the other hand, crocodiles breathe in a similar way to birds, in which gas exchange does not occur in the alveoli but in tubes, which makes the process much more effective.
- In the case of amphibians, the classic example of terrestrial and aquatic animals: with their primitive lungs they rely on cutaneous respiration. However, in the case of certain arthropods such as insects, tracheal breathing is maintained. You may be interested in consulting the following article on our site about Tracheal Respiration in Animals.
We leave you this other post with the Types of animal respiration that exist so that you have more information on the subject.
Mobility of terrestrial and aquatic animals
This aspect also varies from one to another and depends on the group. For example, certain mammals, although with some differences depending on the family, have their limbs shaped like flippers, so they swim very easily, while, in land, although they are less effective to move, they also manage to move.
On the other hand, some birds have either modified their wings, legs or both, in order to be able to swim effectively and also keep moving when they are on the earth's surface.
Reproduction
Land and aquatic animals reproduce exclusively in one or the other environment. For example:
- Certain insects: they necessarily require water to lay their fertilized eggs, from which the larvae of aquatic life emerge, and then, give way to the adult of terrestrial life.
- Sea turtles: they spawn in the sand, once the little turtles are born, they seek to move to the water. If you are interested in this case, we leave you the following article with more detailed reproduction of turtles.
- Some mammals: as is the case of hippos, depending on the species, they are born in water or on land.
- Seals: they reproduce in some of the two media and are born on land.
Nutrition of terrestrial and aquatic animals
With regard to feeding, it will also depend on the animal's diet and its ability to obtain food. Some hunt in the water and stay in this environment while they eat, others take their prey to land to consume them.
You may be interested in the following post with Animals that are prey: characteristics and examples of our site.
Examples of land and water animals
There are various examples of terrestrial and aquatic animals that exist, let's get to know some of them:
Mammals
Within the mammals that are terrestrial and aquatic animals we find:
- Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus).
- South American Fur Seal (Arctocephalus australis).
- South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens).
- Common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius).
- Polar bear (Ursus maritimus).
- Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus).
- North American Beaver (Castor Canadensis).
- Greater Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris).
- Giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis).
- Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus).
Reptiles
As for reptiles, we find the following semi-terrestrial and semi-aquatic animals.
- hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate).
- Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata).
- Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus).
- Arafura snake (Acrochordus arafurae).
- Orinoco Crocodile (Crocodylus intermedia).
- American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis).
- Gavial (Gavialis gangeticus).
- Dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus).
- Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus).
- Nile Monitor Lizard (Varanus niloticus).
Invertebrates
If we focus on invertebrate animals that are terrestrial and aquatic at the same time, we can highlight:
- Yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti).
- Cobbler bug (Gerris lacustris).
- Raft spider (Dolomedes fimbriatus).
- Water Strider (Gerridae).
Birds
As for the group of terrestrial and aquatic animals that comprise birds, we can find:
- Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus).
- Common goose (Anser anser).
- Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata).
- Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus).
Amphibians
Finally, within amphibians we can find:
- Fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra).
- Stream salamander (Ambystoma altamirani).
- Red-bellied Newt (Taricha rivularis).
- Common Toad (Bufo bufo).
- Tomato frog (Dyscophus antongilii)
