The National Geographic Magazine volume 138.

Hi. Today I will be doing a summary on the National Geographic Magazine collection. Let's begin.

PONDS: Ponds offer life to freshwater creatures like various fish, some turtles and frogs. Each pond has its own identity. Some ponds offer life to a wide range of water creatures while others offer life to few creatures. Ponds are everywhere which is good for nature. Some pond carnivores set fantastic traps for food like disguising themselves. At the top of the pond food chain is the snapping turtle.

How do frogs talk? Frogs live in ponds. They have got all sorts of  different sounds. Pickeral frogs gutter. Banjo plunks come from green frogs. Chorus frogs click and bullfrogs roar. A sudden splash and a scream marks the end of a frog.

A frog metamorphosis goes like this. A tadpole hatches. The arms and legs grow. Then the legs grow strong. Next the gills turn to lungs until finally the eyes and heart prepare to leave water.

Life in ponds is diverse. The smallest creatures like insects are eaten by frogs and snails eat plants.

So how does a pond act as a balance of life. Insects, spiders, dragonflies and beetles are eaten by frogs which are eaten by snakes and turtles.  Crayfish, catfish and insects eat carcasses and remains of plants. Fish eat crayfish. Snails and clam eat plants while waterfowl dine on fish, birds and other water creatures. But there seeds and eggs help replenish life. These relationships can sustain a pond for centuries.

But if this balance is disturbed ponds can vanish.

How do water creatures swim. Most paddle or use flippers. Turtles have legs to swim. A snorkel is sometimes used in swimming and water insects can hold there breath for hours.

Many natural ponds are shrinking. Noxontown Pond used to be a marsh but was dammed in 1736.. Noxontown Pond isn't considered a lake.

Conclusion: I conclude that ponds are diverse but shrinking.

Also, pollution is a threat to ponds. Moreover, the balance of life is getting weaker. It is our job to balance back ponds... and the life it has.