A bog is a type of freshwater wetland. The ground is soft and comprises mostly peat, a type of decaying plant matter. We call this decaying bog soil “histosol”, and it is oxygen and nutrient poor. It is not a good place for most animals to live, so the biodiversity within bogs is lower than other wetlands.  Bogs usually sit in northern climates where it is colder. They develop from lake basins from ancient ice age glaciers. The lake basins drain poorly, creating a waterlogged, decaying bog.