The most common shark species seen in the lower Bay during summer and fall is the sandbar shark. The Chesapeake is a nursery ground for them so most sandbar sharks seen here are juveniles. The young range from 2 to 3 feet in length and adults are up to 8 feet long.
Sandbar sharks are dark gray above and white below.
A ridge runs between the two dorsal fins. The bullnose shark is similar to the sandbar but lacks the ridge between the two dorsal fins. Although bullnose sharks can grow up to 12 feet, those visiting the Bay are usually less than 6 feet. Two smaller sharks in the Bay are the smooth dogfish and spiny dogfish. Both species are only 2 to 3 feet long and travel in schools.