Animals rely on lakes and rivers for food and water.

Bear Carrying Salmon Photo courtesy of ArtToday.com

There are many animals that rely on the lakes and rivers and other bodies of water to supply them with life sustaining water, and for many of them food, also. Bears and birds are examples of animals that rely on fish as a main part of their diet. There are other animals that also eat a lot of fish. These animals would not know what to do if there were not enough fish for them to eat. Fish have always been a main part of their diet. Every part of nature depends on the other parts to help keep everything working right. Just as bears depend on salmon as a major part of their diet, and salmon depend on the water as their habitat, so every other thing in nature has things that it depends on. Some people call this the web of life, it is also known as an ecosystem.

Wetlands and Watersheds are also areas where numerable plants and animals

Wetland Photo courtesy of BigFoto.com

other than fish make their home. When these areas are threatened by water pollution, the plants and animals are also threatened. Once a plant or animal becomes extinct, it is gone forever. Whales are one example of a species that has been in danger of becoming extinct. People have hunted whale for many years, and the water that they live in has also been polluted by oil and sewage. The ocean covers four-fifths of our planet. It is alive with activity - from tiny plants to gigantic whales. We must look after our water and preserve it, for without water there would be no life.

| Uses of water | | People | | Fish and Wildlife | | Nature | | Pollution |

Photos courtesy of FreeFoto.com