The Salt Marsh

Salt marshes are found around the world, but the one you are about to tour can be found right here in South Carolina on the North American continent. Salt marshes are located only along the coast. This is because a salt marsh is an area that is flooded by saline (salty) water. The salt marshes are better developed as you move farther south in South Carolina.

Spot & Croaker | The Salt Marsh
Spot & Croaker | The Salt Marsh

Photo

Spot and croaker are closely related fish. They look alike, with light vertical bands, but the spot is named for a dark spot just behind its gill cover. All members of this group of fish make noises...
Sun Sponge | The Salt Marsh
Sun Sponge | The Salt Marsh

Photo

The sun sponge is named for its unusual lifestyle. It is one of the very few sponges that can tolerate exposure to the sun and air. Nearly every other sponge will die when air gets into its body. Most...
Threats of the Marsh | The Salt Marsh
Threats of the Marsh | The Salt Marsh

Photo

Pesticides, manure, and fertilizers run off farm fields and enter the food chain of the marsh. Chemicals from factories are also added to the rivers and end up downstream in the salt marsh, where they...
Tricolored Heron | The Salt Marsh
Tricolored Heron | The Salt Marsh

Photo

The tricolored heron is bluish on the back and wing, white on its belly and throat, and reddish-brown on the back of its neck and head. This medium-sized heron is the most common heron of the salt...
White Ibis | The Salt Marsh
White Ibis | The Salt Marsh

Photo

White ibis use their long, curved bills to probe into the burrows of the fiddler crabs and pull them out to eat. IBIS. Along with the clapper rail, white ibis are the major bird consumers of the salt...