Brilliant orange with black spots, 3 distinctive white spots at top of each wing.
WHERE TO SEE
Common throughout island from spring to fall.
NOTES
2-3 inch wingspan. Commonly seen in yards and gardens. Host plants are various species of passionflower vines, including Maypop. Adults feed on nectar from flowers.
Orange with distinctive black and white patterns.
WHERE TO SEE
Common throughout island during summer and fall months.
NOTES
3-4 inch wingspan. Well known for long annual migration (3,000 miles). The larval stage is entirely dependent on milkweed plants.
Blackish-brown with yellow band and spots.
WHERE TO SEE
Common throughout island from spring to fall.
NOTES
4-5 inch wingspan. Often seen around swamps and wetlands. Host plant is typically the red bay, which is declining drastically due to an exotic parasite.
Olive‐green to brown body. Bluish claws and legs. Males can be distinguished from females based on claw color and underside pattern. Males have reddish‐orange color only on tips of claws, while the claws of females are reddish‐orange throughout. Males also have a distinct rocket ship pattern on underside and females have a upside down U‐shaped pattern.
WHERE TO SEE
Brackish and saltwater ponds, creeks, river, ocean.
NOTES
Commonly caught using chicken necks and weighted hand lines. Very good to eat. Size limit is 5 inches from point to point. No crab traps are allowed in Kiawah Island ponds.
Purplish-tan with a thick oval body and black tips on claws.
WHERE TO SEE
Saltwater creeks, river, ocean.
NOTES
Up to 5 inches across with very large claws. Usually caught in crab traps. Take care when handling these crabs since the massive claw of an adult crab can easily crush a finger. Stone crabs grow very slowly and are protected from harvest. Regulations allow you to "pop off" the larger of the 2 claws after which you must return the crab to the water. The crab will regenerate the missing claw. Stone crab claw meat is highly sought after and considered a delicacy.
Light tan, “sandy” colored. Prominent eye stalks.
WHERE TO SEE
Beach and dunes. Most active at night.
NOTES
2-3 inches square. Lives in burrows in dunes. Wets gills periodically in the ocean. Females lay eggs in ocean. Very fast and can run up to 10 miles per hour. Ghost crabs will prey on sea turtle eggs and hatchlings.
Brown shell, long tail, rounded body, 5 pairs of legs on underside
WHERE TO SEE
Beachfront, saltwater rivers and creeks.
NOTES
Actually an arthropod and not a crab. Eats bivalves, sandworms, and other invertebrates. They pre-date dinosaurs and have been around for 450 million years. Molted shells are common on the beach.
Reddish-brown body and small claws. Live inside snail and whelk shells for protection. Their back 2 pairs of legs are specially designed to hook into these shells.
WHERE TO SEE
Banks of saltwater rivers and creeks, tidal pools, ocean.
NOTES
Our local hermit crabs live in saltwater and will die if taken out of the water.
Dark brown to olive colored with square, flattened shells.
WHERE TO SEE
Very common near salt marsh.
NOTES
About an inch wide. Eats marsh grasses such as spartina. Spends most of its time on dry ground. Commonly seen on docks and even crossing bike paths near the marsh.
Purplish body with white claws.
WHERE TO SEE
Sand and mud banks along saltwater rivers and creeks, marsh.
NOTES
Males have 1 large claw and 1 smaller claw. Females have 2 small claws. Males wave large claw back and forth in a territorial display. Uses claws to gather sediment to eat. Digs deep burrows that help aerate the marsh.
Transparent blue- purple color, long tentacles.
WHERE TO SEE
Ocean and beachfront, usually during summer.
NOTES
Not a true jellyfish, actually a colonial organism. Drifts freely in ocean currents and wind, no means of locomotion. Painful sting. The best treatment involves removing visible tentacles with a gloved hand or shell, rinsing area with seawater, and applying an ice pack for pain relief.
Rounded shape, purplish-white and translucent. Darker interior.
WHERE TO SEE
Ocean inlets, ocean, river. Washed up on beachfront.
NOTES
Up to 7 inches wide. Rarely stings humans unless handled and ruptured. Very important food for Loggerhead and Leatherback Sea Turtles.
Gray, brown, elongated shells. Usually in clusters.
WHERE TO SEE
Intertidal areas of saltwater rivers and creeks.
NOTES
Forms large beds that provide vital fish habitat. Filter feeder. Helps environment by removing sediment and pollutants from water. Popular local seafood, typically harvested by hand at low tide in fall and winter.
Whitish- brown, 2 long brown antennae, sharp horn (rostrum) on top of head.
WHERE TO SEE
Saltwater ponds, creeks, river, ocean.
NOTES
Uses legs to swim slowly forward or can move rapidly backward using its tail. Highly sought after for food. Most often caught recreationally in cast nets during late summer and fall. Often used as bait by inshore fisherman.
