KnowKi

Learn the wildlife of marine protected areas

Learn the wildlife of the Mallows Bay–Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary

MD

608 species have research-grade observations in the Mallows Bay–Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary on iNaturalist. KnowKi turns the most recorded into short lessons with real photos, from fish and seabirds to the life along the shore.

A stretch of the tidal Potomac with the largest shipwreck fleet in the Western Hemisphere.

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Āki the kiwi, KnowKi's guide

Most recorded here

The species with the most research-grade observations on iNaturalist, and how many each has. Most recorded doesn't mean native.

Birds

  1. Osprey Pandion haliaetus37
  2. Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus22
  3. Double-crested Cormorant Nannopterum auritum20
  4. Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias14
  5. Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis7
  6. Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius7
  7. Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus7
  8. White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus7
  9. Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla7
  10. Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon6

Plants

  1. Common pawpaw Asimina triloba39
  2. Coral honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens23
  3. Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum20
  4. Pickerelweed Pontederia cordata20
  5. False indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa19
  6. Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides18
  7. Multiflora rose Rosa multiflora18
  8. American sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua16
  9. American trumpet vine Campsis radicans16
  10. Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia15

Mammals

  1. American Beaver Castor canadensis7
  2. Common Raccoon Procyon lotor4
  3. Eastern Cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus3
  4. Eastern Red Bat Lasiurus borealis1
  5. North American River Otter Lontra canadensis1
  6. White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus1

Insects

  1. Zebra Swallowtail Eurytides marcellus20
  2. Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth Malacosoma americana20
  3. Six-spotted Tiger Beetle Cicindela sexguttata12
  4. Eastern Pondhawk Erythemis simplicicollis10
  5. Widow Skimmer Libellula luctuosa8
  6. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Papilio glaucus7
  7. Ailanthus Webworm Moth Atteva aurea7
  8. Eastern Carpenter Bee Xylocopa virginica6
  9. Eastern Tailed-Blue Everes comyntas6
  10. Eastern Amberwing Perithemis tenera5

Spiders and kin

  1. Beech erineum mite Acalitus ferrugineum4
  2. Bold Jumping Spider Phidippus audax2
  3. White-banded Crab Spider Misumenoides formosipes2
  4. Dark Fishing Spider Dolomedes tenebrosus2
  5. Arrowhead Orbweaver Verrucosa arenata2
  6. White Micrathena Micrathena mitrata2
  7. Black Cherry Leaf Gall Mite Eriophyes cerasicrumena2
  8. Whitman's Jumping Spider Phidippus whitmani2
  9. Southern Black Widow Latrodectus mactans1
  10. Spinybacked Orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis1

Reptiles

  1. Common Watersnake Nerodia sipedon15
  2. Northern Red-bellied Cooter Pseudemys rubriventris15
  3. Central Ratsnake Pantherophis alleghaniensis10
  4. Eastern Mud Turtle Kinosternon subrubrum9
  5. North American Racer Coluber constrictor8
  6. Common Five-lined Skink Plestiodon fasciatus5
  7. Rough Greensnake Opheodrys aestivus4
  8. Common Garter Snake Thamnophis sirtalis3
  9. Eastern Fence Lizard Sceloporus undulatus3
  10. Common Snapping Turtle Chelydra serpentina3

Amphibians

  1. Fowler's Toad Anaxyrus fowleri19
  2. Northern Cricket Frog Acris crepitans6
  3. Green Treefrog Dryophytes cinereus4
  4. Spring Peeper Pseudacris crucifer1
  5. American Toad Anaxyrus americanus1
  6. American Bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus1

Fish

  1. Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus8
  2. White Perch Morone americana8
  3. Northern Tessellated Darter Etheostoma olmstedi8
  4. Banded Killifish Fundulus diaphanus8
  5. Goldfish Carassius auratus6
  6. Largemouth Bass Micropterus nigricans6
  7. Yellow Perch Perca flavescens5
  8. Spottail Shiner Hudsonius hudsonius5
  9. Pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus4
  10. Northern Snakehead Channa argus4

Mollusks

  1. Piedmont Elimia Elimia virginica3
  2. Asian Clam Corbicula fluminea2
  3. Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica1
  4. Changeable Mantleslug Megapallifera mutabilis1

How a trip works

A trip has its own trail of lessons: meet six species, match them to new photos, then practice with four choices. Species you learn go into your Fieldbook, and starting a trip earns its Passport stamp. Your home place stays as it is.

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Species lists and counts from research-grade observations on iNaturalist, as of October 2026. KnowKi is not affiliated with NOAA or any area's managers. Free, with no ads, no account and no purchases.