Semi-aquatic animals

Semi-aquatic animals regularly use both water and land, riverbanks or ice. Beavers, otters, capybaras, platypuses, crocodiles and seals are examples. Water may provide food, shelter or a way to travel, while surfaces outside the water are needed for other activities.

Freshwater and marine examples

Beavers, coypus and capybaras: these rodents are closely linked to water but also feed on plants and use banks.
Otters, European mink and water shrews: they may hunt in water and nearby habitats.
Platypuses: they forage underwater and shelter in burrows in banks.
Crocodiles, alligators and anacondas: they use water and land in ways that vary among species.
Seals, sea lions and walruses: they feed in water and haul out onto land or ice to rest and carry out other activities, depending on the species.

Different ways to move

No single adaptation defines every semi-aquatic animal. Some have webbed feet, while others use flippers or powerful tails. Mammals and reptiles breathe air and must reach the surface even when they spend long periods submerged.

Hippos are a special case: they can walk and push off the bottom rather than swimming like otters. They usually feed on vegetation on land.

What makes an animal semi-aquatic?

Drinking at a river or occasionally crossing a lake is not enough. Regular use of both environments matters. Dolphins and whales are fully aquatic mammals, whereas seals also use resting surfaces outside the water.