Most migratory species, in fact, rely on a network of wetlands to get from their southern habitats to nest sites further north. Muskrats are central to many marshes, keeping aggressive plants in check and crafting bird protection by carving out habitat. Minks and otters frequent wetlands. Raccoons, opossums, even moose can be found foraging around marshes, particularly when water levels drop. Marshes also host frogs, turtles, and snakes, salamanders, and an immense variety of insects, including aquatic, flying, and grazing insects.
Swamps are slow moving streams, rivers or isolated depressions that host trees and some shrubs.
A bog is a peat-accumulating wetland. Some shrubs and evergreens grow in bogs, as do mosses. Most water comes from precipitation. There is usually no direct inflow or outflow of water. A prairie pothole is a wetland area found in the northern Great Plains.