What wildlife lives in the Chesapeake Bay?
Sea turtles, eels, dolphins, rays, seahorses, and jellyfish also fill the Bay waters. And hundreds of thousands of birds call Chesapeake Bay their home.
What predators are in the Chesapeake Bay?
As important predator species in the Chesapeake Bay food web, fish like striped bass, Atlantic croaker and white perch rely on “forage”—the smaller fish, shellfish and invertebrates that underwater predators feed on. Though many aren’t well known, these forage species are the unsung heroes of our waters.
What kind of wildlife live in the Chesapeake Bay?
Chesapeake Wildlife. A blue crab scuttles along a pier in Mayo, Maryland. Probably the best-known creature in the Bay watershed is the famous blue crab, but many other species call this watershed home. The Chesapeake Bay provides food, water, cover, and nesting or nursery areas to more than 3,000 migratory and resident wildlife species.
What kind of turtles live in Chesapeake Bay?
The diamondback terrapin, Maryland’s official state reptile, is an aquatic turtle with distinctive diamond-shaped rings covering its shell. It lives in and around the Chesapeake Bay’s brackish tidal waters, including rivers and marshes.
How many species of animals live in Maryland?
Maryland is home to an estimated 90 species of mammals, 93 species and subspecies of reptiles and amphibians, over 400 species of birds and several hundred species of marine and freshwater fishes. An untold number of insect and other invertebrate species (crustaceans, spiders, mollusks, etc) also reside here.
Where do Diamondbacks live in the Chesapeake Bay?
Habitat Lives in tidal portions of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers, including brackish marshes, beaches and mud flats, and islands. Hibernates in river banks and at the bottom of creeks and rivers in winter. Range Found in the coastal plain of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, as well as parts of the District of Columbia.
What kind of fish live in Chesapeake Bay?
The Chesapeake Bay is home to numerous fauna that either migrate to the Bay at some point during the year or live there year-round. There are over 300 species of fish and numerous shellfish and crab species. Some of these include the Atlantic menhaden, striped bass, American eel, eastern oyster, and the blue crab.
Do sea turtles live in the Chesapeake Bay?
Green sea turtles, which are endangered in U.S. waters, are seen in Chesapeake Bay during the late summer and early fall. Hawksbill sea turtles are extremely rare in Chesapeake Bay. Diamondback terrapins inhabit Chesapeake Bay’s brackish waters.
What plants are native to Chesapeake Bay watershed?
The Chesapeake Bay watershed is home to scores of native trees. Several native conifers as well as deciduous tree species are suitable for the wide range of habitats found in throughout the watershed. For swampy areas, conifers include bald cypress, white cedar, pitch pine, and marsh pine.