Eastern Spadefoot Toad: Notable features of spadefoot toads are yellow eyes and black elliptical pupils.
Presumably, the abundance of small,
ground-dwelling invertebrates on the
forest floor offers a smorgasbord for
these little creatures.
In later investigations over the years,
we discovered box turtles living in
maritime forests. These were not found
in the 1970s and are probably from
post-development releases by residents
or visitors to Kiawah Island.
Any of these species might occur in
other habitats, but in our experience,
while conducting the early research
on Kiawah Island, they were the
characteristic inhabitants of the
maritime forests.
Have You Seen One of
These Residents of the
Maritime Forest?
Slimy Salamander (family
Plethodontidae). Slimy salamanders
get their name from protective body
secretions that stick like glue when they
are picked up. The glue is not harmful
to a person but probably discourages
certain predators from eating the
salamander. Slimy salamanders are shiny
54
black all over, and some have whitish
flecks scattered all over the body.
On Kiawah, most are solid black.
Almost never coming above ground
except on humid nights, they hide
beneath leaves and other ground litter
or go underground in root holes.
Although common on the mainland,
salamanders are a rarity on barrier
islands anywhere, and Kiawah is
noted as one of the few having slimy
salamanders.
Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad
(family Microhylidae). The smooth,
pear-shaped body of this tiny toad is
distinctive. Some are gray, and some
are brown, often blending with the soil
color. Adults are seldom seen above
ground except at night after rains
during the breeding season. However,
when the tadpoles metamorphose into
toadlets, they emerge onto land the size
of M&Ms and can be seen traveling
overland during the daytime.
Southern Toad (family Bufonidae).
The southern toad is the most
ubiquitous amphibian on Kiawah
Island and could show up in almost
any wooded habitat, around residences,
or crossing roads on humid nights.
The primary and most common
color is a dull brown. Small wart-like
protuberances cover the back and sides
coupled with elevated ridges between
the eyes and on the head, which
make identification of this species
unmistakable on Kiawah.
Don’t worry about the bumps on
their bodies—they do not cause warts
on people. Individuals can occasionally
be seen hopping around in the maritime
forest, even during daytime.
Eastern Spadefoot Toad (family
Scaphiopodidae). Spadefoots are dark
in color and usually have muted yellow
markings on the back and sides. They
get their name from a dark spade-like
swelling on the inside of the back foot
that they use for digging in soft soil
where they stay hidden for most of
their lives.
Their presence in a maritime forest
is unlikely to be revealed except during
warm, humid nights when they go
in search of invertebrate prey. If you
should ever catch a spadefoot toad,
Naturally Kiawah