How many species of aquatic animals live in the chesapeake.?

The Chesapeake Bay provides food, water, cover, and nesting or nursery areas to more than 3,000 migratory and resident wildlife species.

1. How many species of animals live in the Chesapeake Bay?
2. What aquatic organisms are found in the Chesapeake Bay?
3. How many species are unique to the Chesapeake Bay?
4. How many endangered species are there in the Chesapeake Bay?
5. What type of water is the Chesapeake Bay?
6. Are there dolphins in Chesapeake Bay?
7. Are there octopus in the Chesapeake Bay?
8. Are there sharks in Chesapeake Bay?
9. Are there starfish in the Chesapeake Bay?
10. Is Chesapeake Bay an ocean?
11. Are there whales in the Chesapeake Bay?
12. What predators are in the Chesapeake Bay?
13. Why is wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay struggling?
14. What eats phytoplankton in the Chesapeake Bay?
15. Do sea turtles live in the Chesapeake Bay?
16. What is Chesapeake Bay famous for?
17. How far underwater is the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel?
18. Is the Chesapeake Bay all salt water?

How many species of animals live in the Chesapeake Bay?

The mixing of freshwater with saltwater from the Atlantic Ocean in the Chesapeake Bay creates the nation's largest estuary, home to more than 3,700 species of plants and animals.

What aquatic organisms are found in the Chesapeake Bay?

The Bay is home to many fish, from the Bay anchovy to the sandbar shark. It supports blue crabs, horshoe crabs and American oysters. In fact, humans get over 500 million pounds of seafood from the Bay each year! Sea turtles, eels, dolphins, rays, seahorses, and jellyfish also fill the Bay waters.

How many species are unique to the Chesapeake Bay?

The bay supports over 3,600 species of plant and animal life, including more than 300 fish species and 2,700 plant types. The waters of the bay are a mix of saltwater and freshwater.

How many endangered species are there in the Chesapeake Bay?

More than 2,300 species are listed as endangered or threatened on the Endangered Species List, several of which depend on the unique habitats found in the Chesapeake Bay region to survive. In honor of Endangered Species Month, we're highlighting a few of the local critters currently listed as endangered.

What type of water is the Chesapeake Bay?

Brackish water, a combination of saltwater and freshwater, fills most of the Bay. The mingling of the freshwater with ocean water creates an estuary. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in North America, and one of the largest in the world.

Are there dolphins in Chesapeake Bay?

Hundreds of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins are spending their summers in Chesapeake Bay waters. ... The bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) that travel to the Chesapeake are a migratory species that spend the rest of the year at other locations along the Atlantic Coast.

Are there octopus in the Chesapeake Bay?

The brief squid is the only cephalopod in the Chesapeake Bay, a group that includes squids, octopuses and cuttlefish. They prefer salty waters normally found only in the lower Bay, but when the saltier water moves farther north, the squids move with it.

Are there sharks in Chesapeake Bay?

Overall, sharks aren't a major safety concern in the Chesapeake Bay. The lower Bay's role as a nursery area for sandbar sharks makes it the most abundant large shark population on the Atlantic coast. But populations of other shark species are limited in this area, so unprovoked attacks are incredibly rare.

Are there starfish in the Chesapeake Bay?

The common sea star is a spiny-skinned echinoderm with five pointed arms. It lives mainly on rocks, jetties and pilings in the shallow, salty waters of the lower Chesapeake Bay.

Is Chesapeake Bay an ocean?

The Chesapeake Bay is an estuary—a partially enclosed body of water where fresh water from rivers and streams mixes with salt water from the ocean. ... The Chesapeake Bay's salinity is highest at its mouth, where sea water from the Atlantic Ocean enters.

Are there whales in the Chesapeake Bay?

The humpback whale is a school bus-sized mammal that occasionally visits the Chesapeake Bay. It is known for its knobbed head and acrobatic breaching displays.

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.

Why is wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay struggling?

Unfortunately, the Chesapeake Bay faces serious problems due to human activities, including polluted stormwater runoff, over-fertilization and pollution from animal wastes, deforestation, wetland destruction from agricultural, urban, and suburban development, and sea level rise caused by global climate change.

What eats phytoplankton in the Chesapeake Bay?

Phytoplankton are then are eaten by copepods, which are members of the microscopic animal community called zooplankton. Copepods are eaten by bay anchovies, which are eaten by large fish such as bluefish and striped bass.

Do sea turtles live in the Chesapeake Bay?

The loggerhead turtle is the largest hard-shelled sea turtle, with a heart-shaped, reddish brown shell. It can be found in the Chesapeake Bay from May to November.

What is Chesapeake Bay famous for?

The Bay is also an important economic resource. Seafood, recreation and tourism generate significant revenue for all Chesapeake watershed states, producing jobs and boosting local economies. The Chesapeake is also home to two of the five major shipping ports in the North Atlantic: Baltimore and Hampton Roads.

How far underwater is the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel?

The tunnels connect to the bridge sections via four manmade islands that are each as large as a football field. The depth of the water ranges from 25 to 100 feet, according to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel Commission.

Is the Chesapeake Bay all salt water?

Chesapeake Bay salinity

In general, the lower Chesapeake Bay is salty and the upper Bay is fresh. Salinity gradually decreases as you move north, farther away from the ocean, and increases as you move south. Salinity is highest at the mouth of the Bay—averaging 25 to 30 ppt—where water from the Atlantic Ocean enters.