In a survey of 100 Herefordshire ponds, carried out by Anthea Brian & Beryl Harding between 1987 and 1991, it was found that ponds varied a lot in the numbers of plant species and animal types, with the majority of ponds having only limited numbers of each. Ponds with high numbers of plant species tended to have more animal types, showing the close dependence of animals on plants.
The list of animal types in the 100 ponds surveyed is given below.
| Animal name | No of ponds |
| Hydra | 5 |
| Flatworms | 18 |
| Hairworms | 1 |
| Tubifex | 10 |
| other Annelid worms | 11 |
| Leeches | 32 |
| Water louse | 13 |
| Freshwater shrimp | 29 |
| Water flea Cladocera | 61 |
| Water flea Copepoda | 48 |
| Water flea Ostracoda | 36 |
| Water spring tail | 4 |
| Mayfly | 36 |
| Dragonfly (adult) | 25 |
| Dragonfly (nymph) | 11 |
| Damselfly (adult) | 34 |
| Damselfly (nymph) | 15 |
| Water measurer | 2 |
| Water cricket | 3 |
| Pond skater | 24 |
| Water scorpion | 4 |
| Saucer bug | 2 |
| Water-boatman | 31 |
| Lesser water-boatman | 48 |
| Alder fly | 8 |
| Water beetle, Dytiscus (adult) | 8 |
| Water beetle, Dytiscus (larva) | 10 |
| Water beetle Whirligigs | 9 |
| Water beetle other (adult) | 43 |
| Water beetle other (larva) | 15 |
| Caddis-fly | 25 |
| China mark moth | 1 |
| Flies Dixidae | 9 |
| Flies Chironomidae | 32 |
| Flies Chaoboridae | 18 |
| Flies Ceratopogonidae | 7 |
| Flies Culicidae | 24 |
| Flies Anophelidae | 10 |
| Flies Tipulidae | 1 |
| Freshwater limpet | 3 |
| Ram's-horn snail | 19 |
| Pond snails | 35 |
| Orb-shell cockles | 9 |
| Vertebrates living in/associated with water | No of ponds |
| Minnow | 1 |
| Stickleback, 3 spined | 6 |
| Stone loach | 1 |
| Carp | 1 |
| Tench | 1 |
| Unidentified | 16 |
| Frog | 17 |
| Toad | 5 |
| Newt, smooth | 22 |
| Newt, palmate | 1 |
| Newt, great crested (See distribution map) | 6 |
| Coot | 6 |
| Curlew | 1 |
| Duck, domestic | 3 |
| Geese, Canada & domestic | 7 |
| Heron | 3 |
| Kingfisher | 2 |
| Mallard | 57 |
| Moorhen | 37 |
| Snipe | 1 |
| Swan | 2 |
| Wagtail, pied | 2 |
| Water vole | 2 |
Anthea Brian & Beryl Harding
Transactions of the Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club Vol XLVIII 1996 Part 3
