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Animal ID charts for land and ponds
These printable identification resources support learners with identifying small animals they might find in school grounds. The Garden ID chart covers invertebrates found on land including spiders, insects, snails and other minibeasts. The Pond ID chart includes freshwater invertebrates as well as small fish and amphibians (frogs and newts).
If you are doing the Nature Park Pollinator Count, use the identification resources included on the Pollinator Count survey page. They are designed to help learners focus on and recognise pollinators specific to that community science survey.
Charts and booklet ©Trustees of the Natural History Museum. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Preparation
What you need
- downloaded copies of the ID charts
Location
Indoors and outdoors
Land animal identification resources
NHM_Garden_ID chart.pdf
3.47 MB
Scaffolding resource
Step by step
ID charts
- Download and print the ID charts
- Laminate the chart for resilience outdoors
Printing on heavier, waterproof materials for more durable resources that are also less likely to be blown away by wind.
Pond animal ID booklet
- Download the ID booklet.
- Print landscape, 2-sided, flipping on the long edge.
- Cut out the pages along the red line.
- Align the straight edges and bind the booklet together. The result should be a landscape booklet with the bindings at the top.
The booklet covers pond animals in more detail than the chart. Encourage learners to pay attention to details such as the shape of the animal’s body, legs, and antennae. If animals won’t pause long enough to give learners a close look, remind learners to keep the containers as still as possible to avoid frightening the animals.
These resources use ‘large backswimmer’ to refer to bugs in the genus Notonecta. Other UK resources may refer to this group as common backswimmers or greater water boatmen.
Boatman and backswimmer comparison
Backswimmer or Greater water boatman
Taxonomic family - Notonectidae
Usually seen swimming on their back with their legs towards the surface of the pond.
Boatman or Lesser water boatman
Taxonomic family - Corixidae
Usually seen swimming on their front.
Curriculum links
Year 1 - Animals, including humans
- identify and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals
Year 2 - Living things and their habitats
- identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including microhabitats
Year 4 - Living things and their habitats
- recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways
Year 6 - Living things and their habitats
- describe how living things are classified into broad groups according to common observable characteristics and based on similarities and differences, including micro-organisms, plants and animals
- give reasons for classifying plants and animals based on specific characteristics
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