Many plants and animals hitch a ride on the feet of ducks and geese. Canadian pondweed is an example of a plant that often travels to new locations using birds for a free ride.
Pond snails can attach themselves to the feet of ducks and live for many hours.
A migrating duck can travel nearly five hundred kilometres in a single day and thus transport snails to many new habitats. Algae, snail eggs, and plant seeds are able to travel through the digestive system of animals unharmed and ready to begin life in a new setting. When the animal eats its regular foods, some eggs, algae or seeds may pass through the animal's body unharmed in its droppings. Many mud dwelling plants produce tiny seeds that are covered in a sticky, glue-like substance. This allows them to attack themselves to a variety of animals such as beavers, birds, and turtles.