Members of the fish, amphibian and reptile groups are all dependent on the habitat provided by wetlands. Numerous bird and mammal species make extensive use of the water and its adjacent shores. Food and shelter are the primary requirements of life. Wetlands provide these functions for many species of animals that either live permanently within the wetland or visit periodically. Almost every part of a wetland, from the bottom up, is important to wildlife in some way.
Wetlands provide great volumes of food that attract many animal species.
This enriched material feeds many small aquatic insects, shellfish, and small fish that are food for larger predatory fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals. Some insects use bottom debris to form a protective covering. Wetland vegetation provides nesting materials and support structures to several bird species and is a major source of food to mammals. Small mammals use the lush vegetation at the edge of wetlands for cover and as a source of food, and they themselves are food for birds of prey. Each species has adapted to using the wetland and its surrounding area in a particular way.