Life at the Bottom
Dig deep into the world of benthic organisms: the clams, worms, oysters, and mussels that live at the bottom of the Bay and its rivers.
Benthos are the organisms that live at the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay and its streams and rivers. The word benthos comes from a Greek term meaning “depths of the sea.” Benthic communities are complex and include a wide range of animals, plants, and bacteria from all levels of the food web. Clams, worms, oysters, shrimp-like crustaceans, and mussels are all examples of benthic organisms.
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The infographic shows a cross-section of a benthic habitat, which includes the area on and below a waterway's bottom sediment. The infographic features drawings of different organisms that can be found in a typical benthic community in the Chesapeake Bay, with text labels that provide each organism's common and scientific names. Some organisms live on top of the sediment; some are attached to other organisms' shells; and some are burrowed into the mud. On top of the sediment, the infographic shows a black-fingered mud crab (Panopeus herbstii), whip mudworm (Polydora ligni), skilletfish (Gobiesox strumosus), Atlantic oyster drill (Urosalpinx cinerea), and clump of American oysters (Crassostrea virginica). Three sea squirts (Molgula manhattensis) are attached to the oyster drill, and both oyster spat and ivory barnacles (Balanus eburneus) are attached to the oysters. Below the sediment, the infographic shows a hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), soft-shelled clam (Mya arenaria), common clam worm (Nereis succinea), glassy tubeworm (Spiochaetopterus oculatus), and red ribbon worm (Micrura leidyi).