🐸 Rivers, lakes and ponds animal reports, grades 3–4
21 sheets, one animal each, so every child in a group gets a different one. Pick another set or one animal.
My report: the bald eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus · Grades 3–4
| Length | 28 in to 3.2 ft (71 to 97 cm) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 7 to 14 lb (3.2 to 6.4 kg) |
| Top speed | 35 to 40 mph (56 to 64 km/h) |
| How long it lives | 20 years |
Read about it
Bald eagles aren't bald: "bald" is an old word for white. They swoop down and grab fish from the water with their sharp talons. Young eagles are brown all over and get their white head and tail when they are a few years old.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- National Park Service (North American bald eagle), nps.gov/articles/bald-eagle.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, Kenai Fjords, nps.gov/kefj/learn/nature/bald-eagle.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, Upper Delaware, home.nps.gov/upde/learn/nature/baldeagles.htm, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the saltwater crocodile
Crocodylus porosus · Grades 3–4
| Length | 20 ft (6.1 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | not checked yet: look it up! |
Read about it
Its eyes, ears and nostrils sit on top of its head, so it can float with almost all of its body hidden underwater. Unlike most crocodiles, it can live in salty sea water and sometimes swims between islands. A mother guards her nest and carries her babies gently in her mouth.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- US Fish and Wildlife Service rule, Federal Register 24 June 1996 (govinfo.gov), govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1996-06-24/html/96-15790.htm, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the capybara
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris · Grades 3–4
| Length | 3.9 ft (1.2 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | 24 in (61 cm) |
| Weight | 150 lb (68 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 12 years |
Read about it
A capybara is a rodent, a cousin of guinea pigs and rats, but much bigger. Its eyes, ears and nose sit high on its head, so it can keep them above the water while the rest of it floats. Its feet are partly webbed, which helps it paddle.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- US Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species: capybara profile, nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=2587, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the moose
Alces alces · Grades 3–4
| Length | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | 5 to 7 ft (1.5 to 2.1 m) |
| Weight | 701 to 1,400 lb (318 to 635 kg) |
| Top speed | 35 mph (56 km/h) |
| How long it lives | 15 to 25 years |
Read about it
A male moose grows wide, flat antlers, which fall off each winter and grow back in spring. Moose have long legs for stepping over fallen logs and wading through deep snow and lakes. They wade into ponds to eat water plants, and they can even dive under the surface to get them.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- National Park Service, Kenai Fjords, nps.gov/kefj/learn/nature/moose.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, Rocky Mountain, nps.gov/romo/learn/nature/moose.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, Denali, nps.gov/dena/learn/nature/moose.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, Grand Portage, nps.gov/articles/000/mooz-moose.htm, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the raccoon
Procyon lotor · Grades 3–4
| Length | 24 in to 3.1 ft (60 to 95 cm) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | 9 to 12 in (23 to 31 cm) |
| Weight | 15 to 40 lb (6.8 to 18 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 1.8 to 3.1 years |
Read about it
A raccoon's front paws are very sensitive, especially when they are wet, so it can feel what it is holding without looking. It often dunks its food in water before eating it, which is where its science name, lotor, comes from: it means the washer. At night raccoons climb, wander and look for fruit, nuts, eggs, frogs and insects.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- National Park Service (raccoon quick facts), nps.gov/articles/racoon.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, Pipestone, nps.gov/pipe/learn/nature/mammals.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System, research.fs.usda.gov/feis/species-reviews/prlo, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the north American beaver
Castor canadensis · Grades 3–4
| Length | 35 in to 3.3 ft (89 cm to 1 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 35 to 60 lb (16 to 27 kg) |
| Top speed | 5 mph (8.1 km/h) |
| How long it lives | 8 to 10 years |
Read about it
A beaver's orange front teeth never stop growing, and chewing wood keeps them short. It piles sticks and mud across a stream to make a dam, and the water behind the dam becomes a pond. In the pond the family builds a lodge, a dome of sticks with a door that opens underwater.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- National Park Service, Yellowstone, nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/beaver.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, Acadia, nps.gov/articles/north-american-beaver-acadia.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, Prince William Forest Park, nps.gov/prwi/learn/nature/beaver.htm, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the west Indian manatee
Trichechus manatus · Grades 3–4
| Length | 8.9 to 9.8 ft (2.7 to 3 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 992 lb (450 kg) |
| Top speed | 15 mph (24 km/h) |
| How long it lives | 60 years |
Read about it
A manatee glides through warm, shallow water and grazes on seagrass like a cow in a field, which is why it is sometimes called a sea cow. It has to come up to breathe air, but it can rest underwater between breaths. Its flippers have little nails, and it uses them to steer food into its mouth.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fws.gov/species/manatee-trichechus-manatus, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, Big Cypress National Preserve, nps.gov/bicy/learn/nature/mammals.htm, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the american flamingo
Phoenicopterus ruber · Grades 3–4
| Length | not checked yet: look it up! |
|---|---|
| Height | 4.9 ft (1.5 m) |
| Weight | 4 to 7.9 lb (1.8 to 3.6 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 40 to 60 years |
Read about it
A baby flamingo is gray, and it turns pink from what it eats. Tiny shrimp and algae hold a natural pink color, and it ends up in the flamingo's feathers. To eat, a flamingo scoops up water in its bent beak and strains out the food with tiny comb-like plates.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/american-flamingo, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the mallard
Anas platyrhynchos · Grades 3–4
| Length | 20 to 26 in (50 to 65 cm) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 2 to 3.1 lb (900 g to 1.4 kg) |
| Top speed | 51 mph (83 km/h) |
| How long it lives | not checked yet: look it up! |
Read about it
A mallard tips its tail up and reaches its head underwater to eat plants, without diving. Its feathers stay dry because it spreads oil from a spot near its tail over them. Mother ducks lead their fluffy ducklings to the water soon after they hatch.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, fws.gov/species/mallard-anas-platyrhynchos, checked 2026-10-30
- USGS, usgs.gov/news/dabbling-duck-flight-speeds-high-tech-update-21st-century, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the american alligator
Alligator mississippiensis · Grades 3–4
| Length | 8 to 11 ft (2.4 to 3.4 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 1,000 lb (454 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 50 years |
Read about it
An alligator's snout is wide and U-shaped, while a crocodile's is longer and more pointed. Its eyes and nostrils sit on top of its head, so it can float with most of its body hidden in the water. When the babies chirp from inside their eggs, the mother opens the nest and helps them out.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- National Park Service, Gulf Islands, nps.gov/guis/learn/nature/alligators.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/american-alligator, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the green anaconda
Eunectes murinus · Grades 3–4
| Length | 26 ft (8 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 551 lb (250 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 10 years |
Read about it
A green anaconda spends most of its time in the water, where its heavy body moves more easily. It is not venomous. After a big meal, an anaconda may not need to eat again for a long time.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- US Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species: green anaconda profile, nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?speciesID=2636, checked 2026-10-30
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Green anaconda, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/green-anaconda, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the american bullfrog
Lithobates catesbeianus · Grades 3–4
| Length | 3.5 to 8 in (9 to 20 cm) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 1.8 lb (800 g) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 8 to 10 years |
Read about it
A bullfrog sits at the water's edge and catches insects and other small animals that come near. The round circle behind each eye is its eardrum, and a male's eardrum is bigger than his eye. A bullfrog tadpole may spend a winter or more as a tadpole before it grows legs.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- National Park Service, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, nps.gov/chat/learn/nature/bullfrog.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological Risk Screening Summary (quoting GISD 2009), fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Ecological-Risk-Screening-Summary-American-Bullfrog.pdf, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the axolotl
Ambystoma mexicanum · Grades 3–4
| Length | 12 in (30 cm) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | not checked yet: look it up! |
Read about it
Most salamanders grow up and walk onto land, but an axolotl stays in the water and keeps its gills. It can regrow a lost leg or tail, and even parts of its heart and spinal cord. Wild axolotls are dark brownish-green, while pet ones can be pink, white or gold.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- US Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species: axolotl profile, nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?speciesID=3973, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the hellbender
Cryptobranchus alleganiensis · Grades 3–4
| Length | 24 in (61 cm) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 4.9 lb (2.2 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 40 years |
Read about it
A hellbender has loose, wrinkly folds of skin along its sides. The folds give it more skin to take in oxygen from the fast, cool water. It hides under big flat rocks in the daytime and hunts crayfish at night.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 'A Salamander's Struggle for Survival', fws.gov/story/2021-02/salamanders-struggle-survival, checked 2026-10-30
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/hellbender, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the goliath frog
Conraua goliath · Grades 3–4
| Length | 13 in (32 cm) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 7.3 lb (3.3 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | not checked yet: look it up! |
Read about it
A goliath frog lives beside rushing rivers and waterfalls in African rainforest. It has no vocal sac, the pouch other frogs use to make loud calls, so it is almost silent. It clears small pools by moving stones and lays its eggs there.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- Federal Register (US Fish and Wildlife Service), federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/1994/12/08/94-30132.txt, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the sockeye salmon
Oncorhynchus nerka · Grades 3–4
| Length | 18 to 30 in (46 to 76 cm) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 4 to 15 lb (1.8 to 6.8 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 5 years |
Read about it
A sockeye starts life as a tiny fish in a stream or lake, then swims down to the sea to grow big. After living in the ocean for a while, it finds its way back to the very stream where it hatched, helped by its sense of smell. On the trip home it swims up rivers and leaps up small waterfalls, and its silver body turns red with a green head.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/sockeye-salmon, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the red-bellied piranha
Pygocentrus nattereri · Grades 3–4
| Length | 12 in (31 cm) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 4 lb (1.8 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 10 years |
Read about it
A piranha's teeth are sharp and shaped like little triangles that fit together. The scary stories about piranhas are mostly made up. Most of the time they eat insects, small fish and seeds, and they swim in groups, which keeps each fish safer.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, Red-bellied piranha, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/red-bellied-piranha, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the common green darner
Anax junius · Grades 3–4
| Length | 3 in (7.6 cm) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Top speed | 37 mph (60 km/h) |
| How long it lives | not checked yet: look it up! |
Read about it
A dragonfly has huge eyes that wrap around its head, so it can see almost all around. It can fly forward, hover and even backward, moving each of its four wings on its own. Baby darners, called nymphs, live underwater and hunt tiny water animals until they climb a plant stem and crawl out of their old skin with wings.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- National Park Service, Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, nps.gov/miss/learn/nature/greendarner.htm, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, Species Spotlight: Dragonflies, nps.gov/articles/species-spotlight-dragonflies.htm, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the blue crab
Callinectes sapidus · Grades 3–4
| Length | 9.1 in (23 cm) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 5.3 oz (150 g) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 3 to 4 years |
Read about it
A blue crab walks sideways on pointy legs, and its last pair are flat paddles for swimming. Like a lobster, it grows by climbing out of its old shell, and it is soft until the new shell hardens. Grown-up males have bright blue claws, and females have claws with red tips.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- NOAA Fisheries, fisheries.noaa.gov/species/blue-crab, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the japanese giant salamander
Andrias japonicus · Grades 3–4
| Length | 4.9 ft (1.5 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 51 lb (23 kg) |
| Top speed | not checked yet: look it up! |
| How long it lives | 70 years |
Read about it
Its eyes are very small, so it senses the water instead. Tiny bumps on its head and body feel movement in the water, which is how it finds fish and crabs at night. It breathes mostly through its wrinkly skin, so it needs cool, fast, clean water.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- Smithsonian's National Zoo, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/japanese-giant-salamander, checked 2026-10-30
My report: the north American river otter
Lontra canadensis · Grades 3–4
| Length | 3.3 to 4.5 ft (1 to 1.4 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Top speed | 15 mph (24 km/h) |
| How long it lives | not checked yet: look it up! |
Read about it
A river otter's thick fur keeps it warm, and its webbed feet, strong tail and whiskers make it a great swimmer. It can close its ears and nose when it dives. Otter pups have to be taught to swim by their mother.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- National Park Service, Yellowstone, nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/river-otter.htm, checked 2026-10-30