Mayford Heritage Pond

Gastropods, Crustaceans & Molluscs

Mayford Pond is home to at least 11 species of snails and slugs most of which live in the pond itself.  Along with the familiar Garden Snail and Great Black Slug on land, there are the Great and Wandering Pond Snails, Bladder Snail, and 5 species of Ramshorn Snail living in the pond.  The one that you can see most often is the Great Pond Snail as it has a habit of gliding along on upside-down on the lower side of the water surface.

There are several crustaceans here too.  On land the Common Woodlouse can be found in damp places, whilst in the water its cousin the Water Slater or Hog Louse is quite common.  They both feed on rotting vegetation of one sort or another. Also in the pond is an excellent indicator of good water quality, the Freshwater Shrimp.  These small shrimps are easy to find if you go pond dipping, but even the adults are only a few millimetres long.

Finally, the shellfish!  On the bottom of the pond lives the filter-feeding Pea Cockle, a much smaller version of the familiar seaside species, which, as its name suggests is usually no bigger than a pea.