1. Chesapeake Bay Research BY: Benita Amouzou

2. Why is it important to have a variety of animals in the Bay? It is important to have a variety of living things in the Bay. Blue crabs are a big part of the food chain in the Bay. Cow nose rays are also a big part of the food chain. Oysters are important because they can keep the Bay healthy. My research will show that blue crabs, cow nose rays, and oysters are important to the Bay

3. Blue crabs Blue crabs are a big part of the food chain in the Bay. Blue crabs have a hard shell and jointed legs. Atlantic Croker, striped bass, and catfish eat blue crabs. Blue crabs eat the dead plants and animals that are on the bottom of the Bay. They give jobs to fishermen so they can give us food. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/fishfact s/bluecrab.asp

4. Cow nose rays Cow nose rays are also a big part of the Bay’s food chain. Cow nose rays live in shallower parts of the Bay Grass Beds. You would most likely not get stung by a cow nose ray. They are important because they keep oysters from multiplying. A school of cow nose rays can eat 6,000 oysters. http://www.visitsealife.com/explore- our-creatures/cownose-ray.aspx

5. Eastern Oysters Eastern Oysters are important to the Bay because they keep the Bay clean. They help feed other organisms. Oysters eat decaying plants so they wont pollute the bay. They filter the water by relaxing their shells and trapping algae. Oysters usually clean the bay in three days but it takes them a year because they’re a little bit of them. http://www.cbf.org/about-the- bay/more-than-just-the-bay/creatures- of-the-chesapeake/eastern-oyster

6. Conclusion In conclusion, I learned that animals in the Chesapeake Bay help each other out by giving them food to eat. Some animals eat other organisms to stay alive while they are keeping the population of the organism balanced. Blue crabs eat dead animals and plants, cow nose rays eat oysters, and oysters clean the bay.

7. Bibliography www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/bag101 (11/11/13) www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/bag101 bayville.thinkport.org/defalt_flash.aspx (11/11/13) Baytrippers.thinkport.org (11/11/13)