The Animal Kingdom

There are different groups of animals. One way to classify or group animals is by taking a look at their physical characteristics. Animals can be vertebrates (have a backbone) or invertebrates (have no backbone)
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Snowy Egret | The Salt Marsh
Snowy Egret | The Salt Marsh

Photo

Snowy egrets are smaller versions of the great egret. They have white feathers, black legs with yellow feet, and a black bill. Snowies sometimes wade slowly through shallow water, stirring the mud...
Mud Snail | The Salt Marsh

Video

The mud snail is black, with a very strong shell, and is about 1/2 inch in length. It is an effective scavenger and hundreds of snails will collect around a dead fish or shrimp bait until they...
Bay Anchovy | The Salt Marsh
Bay Anchovy | The Salt Marsh

Photo

The bay anchovy is the most numerous fish in the estuaries of South Carolina. They are food to larger fish and to many birds. Anchovies are specialized to feed on plankton. They have a huge mouth and...
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...
Shrimp | The Salt Marsh
Shrimp | The Salt Marsh

Photo

Three different species of shrimp are collected commercially from offshore and from the salt marsh. They are the pink shrimp, the brown shrimp, and the white shrimp. They are large, up to 10 inches in...
Blue Crabs | The Salt Marsh
Blue Crabs | The Salt Marsh

Photo

Blue crabs are active predators and effective scavengers. They occur throughout the estuary. They can swim by using their last pair of legs, which have been modified into paddles instead of walking...
Marsh Wren | The Salt Marsh
Marsh Wren | The Salt Marsh

Photo

The wrens build their nests in the tips of living Spartina. The nests are made out of dead Spartina. They are not open, but are covered, so the nest looks like a ball of dead grass. There is a hole on...
Male Fiddler Behavior | The Salt Marsh

Video

Male fiddler crabs have one large claw, which can be either their left or right. They wave these large claws at other males to frighten them away from their territory. When they wave the claw, they...
Great Blue Herons | The Salt Marsh
Great Blue Herons | The Salt Marsh

Photo

Great blue herons are the largest of our herons. Standing over 3 feet tall, with a large, 6-inch-long dagger of a beak, they eat anything they can spear. They are bluish-gray in color. They most often...
Raccoon | The Salt Marsh

Video

It ís a raccoon! Raccoons often feed near water and frequently visit the salt marsh during low tide. Raccoons are omnivorous and eat many different plants and animals. In the salt marsh, they often...