Is an estuary where fresh and salt water mix. Its watershed includes parts of 6 states. It’s is about 200 miles long. It supports more than 3,600 species of plants, fish and animals.

1.Maryland 2.Delaware 3.Virginia 4.West Virginia 5.Pennsylvania 6.New York

Fish Crabs and Shellfish Bay Grasses (SAV) Birds Mammals Reptiles and Amphibians

About 350 species of fish are known to occur in the Bay. Some fish species are year- round residents of the Chesapeake; others move into the Bay from the ocean or freshwater tributaries during varying times of the year.

Dozens of species of crabs and shellfish live in the Bay's waters, wetlands and shorelines. Some, like oysters and blue crabs, are well- known; others, such as amphipods and isopods, are not quite as familiar to most of us.

The birds that inhabit the Chesapeake Bay's woodland and shoreline habitats constitute some of the region’s most beautiful and vulnerable species. Bay birds include ospreys, bald eagles, herons, gulls and waterfowl.

Mammals are warm-blooded vertebrates that give birth to and nurse their young, have highly evolved skeletal structures and are covered with hair either during maturity or at some stage of their embryonic development.

Reptiles and amphibians are cold-blooded vertebrates. Reptiles have scales, while amphibians are scale-less. Common reptiles and amphibians include turtles, snakes, frogs, toads and salamanders.