While some groups (such as avian species) are well known, others (such as invertebrates) are not. This gap in knowledge is partly due to the lack of interest shown in the study of certain species and partly to the difficulties inherent in identifying them. The vast, diverse nature of The Grande Cariçaie’s natural environment is the principle reason for its incredibly rich fauna. If these environments can be protected into the future, then it may be possible to preserve the current diversity of species as well.
Below is a section of the inventory, which includes the listed numbers of species per group and a percentage estimate of what the true number of species may be.
| Group | Species known in 1997 | Estimation of the knowledge of the group (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Protozoa | 105 | 52 |
| Porifera | 1 | 100 |
| Cnidaria | 4 | 80 |
| Platyhelminthes | 66 | 10 |
| Nemertini | 1 | 100 |
| Nemathelminthes | 75 | 9 |
| Mollusca | 97 | 80 |
| Annelida | 49 | 61 |
| Tardigrada | 2 | 15 |
| Arthropoda | 2952 | 41 |
| Tentaculata | 3 | 100 |
| Chordata | 411 | 99 |
| Total | 3766 |
Reference: Mülhauser, B. (1997). Inventaire de la faune de Grande Cariçaie. Groupe d’étude et de gestion de la Grande Cariçaie, Yverdon-les-Bains (Fauna inventory of The Grande Cariçaie, The Grande Cariçaie Study and Management Group).
 27 March 2009 AmphibiansOf the 20 amphibian species found in Switzerland, 16 are present in The Grande Cariçaie. However, their status and distribution along the lakeshore differs greatly from one species to the next and can change (...) |
 27 March 2009 BirdsLake Neuchâtel has gained international recognition as an important winter site for waterfowl, in particular for the red-crested pochard (Netta rufina), the tufted duck (Aythya fuligula) and the common pochard (...) |
 27 March 2009 Fish speciesSeveral of the 53 fish species which live in Swiss waters have been introduced. While Lake Neuchâtel is home to 36 species, many of those are endangered in Switzerland, such as the European bitterling (Rhodeus (...) |
 15 December 2006 InvertebratesInvertebrates make up 96% of the fauna found in the Grande Cariçaie, but only few of them are well known. Thanks to those few known species, an estimate of the potential number of species was able to be made on the (...) |
 27 March 2009 MammalsOf the entirety of Switzerland’s 83 mammals, 48 have been sighted in the Grande Cariçaie, including 19 endangered species. The majority of these are only known to specialists in the field including 6 species (...) |
 27 March 2009 ReptilesAs few naturalists have shown interest in researching the discrete reptiles present in the Grande Cariçaie, little is known about them. To date, 11 species have been recorded along the south shore of Lake Neuchâtel. (...) |
 27 March 2009 The latest ornithological observationsThe following datas are selected from the database www.ornitho.ch and concerns the communities territories along the south-east shore of Lake Neuchâtel. Thanks to the owners of this website for giving us the (...) |
