Invertebrates
Invertebrates are animals without a backbone. Some, like oysters and blue crabs, are easy to recognize. But others like worms and copepods, some of the most abundant animals in the Bay, are rarely seen by humans.
Types of Invertebrates:
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Arks
Family: ArcidaeArks are boxy bivalves with thick, white, ribbed shells. They live in the salty waters of the lower Chesapeake Bay.
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Atlantic Oyster Drill
Urosalpinx cinereaThe Atlantic oyster drill is a small, predatory snail with a pointed, ribbed shell. It lives on reefs, rocks and pilings throughout the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay.
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Atlantic Ribbed Mussel
Geukensia demissaThe Atlantic ribbed mussel is a bivalve with dark, ribbed shells. It is found in low marshes and mud flats throughout the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay.
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Bay Scallop
Argopecten irradiansThe bay scallop is a bivalve that lives in the lower Chesapeake Bay’s salty, shallow waters. Its ribbed, multicolored shells are often found on beaches throughout the lower Bay.
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Brief Squid
Lolliguncula brevisThe brief squid is a small, free-swimming mollusk with a soft body and arm-like tentacles. It lives throughout the lower Chesapeake Bay.
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Eastern elliptio
Elliptio complanataThe eastern elliptio is a freshwater mussel that can be found throughout the Chesapeake watershed.
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Eastern Oyster
Crassostrea virginicaAlso known as the American or Virginia oyster, the eastern oyster is a bivalve with two rough, whitish shells. It forms reefs in brackish and salty waters throughout the Chesapeake Bay.
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Gould’s Shipworm
Bankia gouldiGould’s shipworm is a bivalve with a long, worm-like body. It lives within untreated wood, such as pilings and driftwood, in the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay.
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Hard Clam
Mercenaria mercenariaThe hard clam is a bivalve with thick, ridged, rounded shells. It lives in the salty waters of the lower Chesapeake Bay.
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Hooked Mussel
Ischadium recurvumThe hooked mussel is a bivalve whose dark, ridged shell is strongly curved, or “hooked” on one end. It is prolific in oyster reefs—often “wrapping up” oysters—and can outnumber the amount of oysters by several fold.
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Knobbed Whelk
Busycon caricaKnobbed whelks are marine gastropods that live in tidal estuaries along the Atlantic coast. Their spiral shells can range in color from grayish white to tan.
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Macoma Clams
Macoma spp.Macoma clams are tiny bivalves with thin, chalky white shells. They live buried in the sand or mud in the shallow waters of the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay.
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Marsh Periwinkle
Littorina irrorataThe marsh periwinkle is a small snail with a thick, spiraling shell. It lives in tidal marshes and wetlands throughout the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay.
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Sea Slugs
Class: GastropodaSea slugs are soft-bodied, shell-less mollusks that live throughout the Chesapeake Bay.
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Soft Shell Clam
Mya arenariaThe soft shell clam is a bivalve with thin, elongated shells. It lives buried in soft sediments in the middle Chesapeake Bay.
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Veined Rapa Whelk
Rapana venosaThe veined rapa whelk is a large, predatory snail that lives in the lower Chesapeake Bay. It is an invasive species.
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Zebra Mussel
Dreissena polymorphaThe zebra mussel is a tiny bivalve with zebra-like stripes on its triangular shell. It lives in freshwater lakes, rivers, streams and reservoirs in parts of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. It is a non-native and invasive species.