The Book of Drawings. Animal research/ dragonfly and Three-spined Stickleback

There are many different spices of dragonfly and their close relatives the Damselflies, which both come from the order Odonata. They can be most commonly seen near ponds or other forms of still water. The form in which we see dragonflies means that they are near the end of their life. For up to two years the dragonfly remains an aquatic larvae before becoming the flying insect in order to breed. The easiest way to tell a dragonfly from a Damselfly would be the way they sit. When a dragon fly is at rest it will splay its wigs out to the side, where as the Damselfly will fold its wings up. The easiest spices of Dragonfly to find in the UK is the Common Darter. And the easiest Damselfly would be the Common Blue Damselfly.

Common male Darter Dragonfly

Common Blue Damselfly

The Three-spined Stickleback “or Gasterosteus Aculeatus” is a small inhabitant of Britains waters. They are small fish that can be found just about everywhere as they live in both freshwater and salt. They get their name from the row of spins along there back, despite there not always being three. The spines line there back to protect them from predators which may dive at them E.G. birds. Stickleback males will look after the eggs when breeding is complete. They will even stay with their hatched young for a short time.

three spined stickleback or Gasterosteus Aculeatus

The Book of Drawings. Animal research/ common Toad and Pond Skater

The Common Toad ,or Bufo bufo, is a lot larger and brutish than its common frog cousin. They are found all over Europe and as far as Asia/Africa. Like the common frog and Crested Newt, the toad is an amphibian. Unlike its relatives the toad is not as reliant on water. They only return to a body of water when it’s time to breed, but still inhabit damp environments. Toads also start life as a tadpole, this is why their parents return to water in the breeding season.

Common Toad ,or Bufo bufo

Moving away from amphibians I now wish to look at insects. The Gerridae or “Pond Skaters” as they are more commonly named, are one of the most commonly sported pond inhabitants. They are a small insect which live on the pond surfs. They mainly feed on small dead/ dying insects which are floating on the pond water. They have the remarkable ability to walk on water. They can do this because of microscopic hairs on the legs which repel the water. Because of their specially evolved limbs, they find movement on land difficult. 

"Gerridae" or “Pond Skater"