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WILDLIFE
Puget Sound's wildlife are fishes, birds, invertebrates, marine mammals, plankton and seagrasses
The abundant fertility of Puget Sound offers over 200 species of marine fish, over 600 types of sea grasses, over 200 different kinds of sea birds, about 26 species of marine mammals, and over 3,000 species of known invertebrates.
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Marine MammalsFrom the great gray whales feeding in Puget Sound during their annual migration to the Southern resident orca whale pods J, K, and L, Puget Sound is a sanctuary for marine mammals. |
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Marine FishesPuget Sound is home to five species of salmon, baitfish like herring and surf smelt, and long-lived species of rockfish. |
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Sea BirdsDifferent habitats of Puget Sound are home to different species of birds: surf scoters on the nearshore waters, great blue herons on the mudflats, and bald eagles on shoreline tree crags. |
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Sea GrassesIt's a jungle out there with herring spawning on eelgrass near the shore and bull kelp sending slender limbs to the surface where fronds form dense canopies. |
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InvertebratesThere are 3,000 known invertebrates and we're still counting: clams, oysters, octopuses, moon snails, and nudebranches, to name a few. |
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PlanktonThese small plants and animals drifting on water currents are the base of the Sound's food chain and its web of life |