Aquatic animal 314928 225449160 2008-07-13T19:22:55Z Gaius Cornelius 293907 Tidy using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]] {{Expand|date=January 2007}} {{Unreferenced|date=December 2007}} An '''aquatic animal''' is an [[animal]] which lives in water for most or all of the time. [[Natural environment]]s are classified as either aquatic (water), [[terrestrial ecoregion|terrestrial]] (land), or [[amphibious]] (water and land). The term "aquatic animal" can be applied to [[aquatic mammal|aquatic or sea mammals]] such as those in the order [[Cetacea]] ([[whale]]s), which cannot survive on land, as well as four-footed [[mammal]]s like the river [[otter]] ([[Lutra]] canadensis) and beavers (family [[Castoridae]]). It also includes aquatic [[bird]]s that either swim, wade or dive on the water itself. These include for example the seabirds, such as gulls (family [[Laridae]]), pelicans (family [[Pelecanidae]]), and albatrosses (family [[Diomedeidae]]), and most of the [[Anseriformes]] (ducks, swans and geese). [[amphibia|Amphibious]] and amphibiotic animals, like [[frog]]s (the order [[Anura]]), while they do require water, are separated into their own environmental classification. The majority of amphibians (class [[Amphibia]]) have an aquatic [[larvae|larval]] stage, like a [[tadpole]], but then live as terrestrial adults, and may return to the water to [[mate]]. Aquatic animals are often of special concern to [[Conservation ethic|conservation]]ists because of the fragility of their environments. [[Category:Zoology]] {{animal-stub}} [[mr:जलचर प्राणी]] [[pt:Animal aquático]] [[th:สัตว์น้ำ]]