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.!

See them up close at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.