What animals live in the chesapeake bay?

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. And hundreds of thousands of birds call Chesapeake Bay their home.

1. What wildlife lives in the Chesapeake Bay?
2. What predators are in the Chesapeake Bay?
3. Can you swim in the Chesapeake Bay?
4. Do sharks live in the Chesapeake Bay?
5. Are there whales in the Chesapeake Bay?
6. Are there starfish in the Chesapeake Bay?
7. What kind of deer live in Chesapeake Bay?
8. Are there octopus in the Chesapeake Bay?
9. Are there dolphins in Chesapeake Bay?
10. What makes Chesapeake Bay a dead zone *?
11. Do sea turtles live in the Chesapeake Bay?
12. Are there alligators in Chesapeake Bay?
13. What is the biggest fish in the Chesapeake Bay?
14. Why is the Chesapeake Bay water brown?

What wildlife lives in the Chesapeake Bay?

Larger creatures that thrive in the Bay include bottlenose dolphins, which are plentiful in deeper waters but can also be found near harbors. Water mammals share the watershed with their on-land neighbors such as river otters, the white-tailed and sika deer, bobcats, marsh rabbits, muskrat, and red fox.

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.

Can you swim in the Chesapeake Bay?

They are especially dangerous for dogs and one of the main threats to the Bay's entire ecosystem. Despite these health concerns, beaches along the tidal rivers and the Chesapeake Bay are often safe for swimming, fishing and boating.

Do sharks live in the Chesapeake Bay?

According to the Chesapeake Bay Program, there are at least 12 species of sharks found in the Bay. ... The five most common sharks in the Bay include the sandbar shark, bull shark, sand tiger shark, smooth dogfish, and spiney dogfish.

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.

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.

What kind of deer live in Chesapeake Bay?

Sika deer are native to Japan, Taiwan and eastern Asia, and were introduced into the Chesapeake Bay watershed in 1916. While they reside in the Bay watershed year round, the sika deer's summer range is generally larger than its winter range.

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 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.

What makes Chesapeake Bay a dead zone *?

Dead zones are caused by excessive nitrogen and phosphorous pollution from human activities, including: Agricultural runoff from farmland that carries nutrients from fertilizers and animal manure into rivers and streams, eventually flowing into the Chesapeake Bay.

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.

Are there alligators in Chesapeake Bay?

Alligator mississippiensis (Alligators ) never became established in Chesapeake Bay, and so had no widespread impact on aquatic communities.

What is the biggest fish in the Chesapeake Bay?

Sturgeons are the largest fish native to the Chesapeake Bay.

Why is the Chesapeake Bay water brown?

Some phytoplankton blooms appear green, but many in the summer Chesapeake are brown algae, called dinoflagellates, which typically live for three days, die, and sink to the bottom in huge numbers. We call the largest of these blooms mahogany tides.