Did you know
Atlantic bottlenose dolphins
(Tursiops truncates) are
commonly spotted in this section of the
Choptank, swimming in groups or pods of
20 or more?
Actually small-toothed whales,
these dolphins range from Cape Cod
to the Gulf of Mexico. They can reach
lengths of 12 feet, weigh between 300
and 400 pounds, and live up to 35 years.
Those found in the Bay migrate or move north in
the spring and south in the fall. But in the summer,
these mammals inhabit the saltier waters of the
lower Chesapeake where they feed on catfish, eel, menhaden, shrimp,
crab and squid.
They can also be sighted in the upper
Chesapeake, along the western shore near Annapolis and Baltimore.
They’ve even been known to travel up the Potomac River to
Washington, D.C.!
