Fauna Associated with American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) Nests in Coastal South Carolina, USA
Abstract
:Simple Summary
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
3. Results
3.1. Birds
3.2. Mammals
3.3. Reptiles
3.4. Amphibians
3.5. Invertebrates
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Animal Group | Common Name | Scientific Name | Number Recorded | # Nests Where Recorded | Behavior |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vertebrates | |||||
Birds | |||||
Passerines | |||||
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | Polioptila caerulea | 5 | 4 (5%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Blue Grosbeak | Passerina caerulea | 3 | 3 (3%) | Loafing | |
Blue Jay | Cyanocitta cristata | 2 | 2 (2%) | Loafing | |
Boat-tailed Grackle | Quiscalus major | 6 | 4 (5%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Brown-headed Cowbird | Molothrus ater | 1 | 1 (1%) | Feeding/Foraging | |
Brown Thrasher | Toxostoma rufum | 10 | 7 (8%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Carolina Wren | Thryothorus ludovicianus | 48 | 18 (23%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing | |
Common Grackle | Quiscalus quiscula | 18 | 5 (6%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Common Yellowthroat | Geothlypis trichas | 45 | 15 (19%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Eastern Kingbird | Tyrannus tyrannus | 67 | 2 (2%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Eastern Towhee | Pipilo erythrophthalmus | 4 | 3 (3%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Gray Catbird | Dumatella carolinensis | 3 | 1 (1%) | Feeding/Foraging | |
Great Crested Flycatcher | Myiarchus crinitus | 7 | 5 (6%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Northern Cardinal | Cardinalis cardinalis | 165 | 21 (26%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing, Traveling | |
Northern Mockingbird | Mimus polyglottos | 27 | 4 (5%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Northern Waterthrush | Parkesia noveboracensis | 10 | 6 (7%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Orchard Oriole | Icterus spurirus | 4 | 2 (2%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Painted Bunting | Passerina ciris | 58 | 15 (19%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Palm Warbler | Setophaga palmarum | 2 | 2 (2%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Prairie Warbler | Setophaga discolor | 1 | 1 (1%) | Loafing | |
Red-winged Blackbird | Agelaius phoeniceus | 318 | 36 (46%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing | |
White-eyed Vireo | Vireo griseus | 1 | 1 (1%) | Loafing | |
Unidentified Passerine 1 | Unknown | 169 | 34 (43%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing | |
Unidentified Waterthrush 1 | Parkesia sp. | 6 | 5 (6%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Wading birds | |||||
American Bittern | Botaurus lentiginosus | 1 | 1 (1%) | Feeding/Foraging | |
American Woodcock | Scolopax minor | 10 | 3 (3%) | Feeding/Foraging | |
Black-crowned Night Heron | Nycticorax nycticorax | 24 | 5 (6%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Clapper Rail | Rallus crepitans | 125 | 16 (20%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing | |
Common Gallinule | Gallinula galeata | 46 | 6 (7%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing | |
Great Blue Heron | Ardea herodias | 4 | 2 (2%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing | |
Great Egret | Ardea alba | 4 | 4 (5%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing | |
Green Heron | Butorides virescens | 88 | 16 (20%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing | |
King Rail | Rallus elegans | 11 | 3 (3%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Least Bittern | Ixobrychus exilis | 45 | 13 (16%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing | |
Little Blue Heron | Egretta caerulea | 28 | 3 (3%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing | |
Snowy Egret | Egretta thula | 7 | 5 (6%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling | |
Sora | Porzana carolina | 4 | 1 (1%) | Feeding/Foraging | |
Tricolored Heron | Egretta tricolor | 48 | 5 (6%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing | |
White Ibis | Eudocimus albus | 40 | 5 (6%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Yellow-crowned Night Heron | Nyctanassa violacea | 13 | 3 (3%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing | |
Unidentified Wading Bird 1 | Unknown | 32 | 13 (16%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing | |
Raptors | |||||
Black Vulture | Coragyps atratus | 5 | 2 (2%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Cooper’s Hawk | Accipiter cooperii | 1 | 1 (1%) | Feeding/Foraging | |
Eastern Screech Owl | Megascops asio | 69 | 14 (17%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Red-shouldered Hawk | Buteo lineatus | 1 | 1 (1%) | Feeding/Foraging | |
Non-passerine land birds | |||||
Common Ground Dove | Columbina passerina | 2 | 1 (1%) | Feeding/Foraging | |
Downy Woodpecker | Picoides pubescens | 1 | 1 (1%) | Feeding/Foraging | |
Mourning Dove | Zenaida macroura | 25 | 2 (2%) | Feeding/Foraging, Loafing | |
Northern Flicker | Colaptes auratus | 1 | 1 (1%) | Feeding/Foraging | |
Waterfowl | |||||
Black-bellied Whistling Duck | Dendrocygna autumnalis | 14 | 1 (1%) | Loafing | |
Blue-winged Teal | Anas discors | 4 | 2 (2%) | Traveling, Loafing | |
Other unidentified birds 1 | |||||
Unknown | Unknown | 6 | 4 (5%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing | |
Total birds | 1639 | ||||
Mammals | Bobcat | Lynx rufus | 17 | 7 (8%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing |
Eastern Gray Squirrel | Sciurus carolinensis | 1 | 1 (1%) | Traveling | |
Eastern Woodrat | Neotoma floridana | 1 | 1 (1%) | Feeding/Foraging | |
Marsh Rabbit | Sylvilagus palustris | 422 | 50 (64%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing | |
Marsh Rice Rat | Oryzomys palustris | 183 | 31 (39%) | Feeding/Foraging, Burrowing/Shelter, Traveling | |
Raccoon | Procyon lotor | 648 | 50 (64%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing | |
River Otter | Lontra canadensis | 4 | 2 (2%) | Traveling | |
Virginia Opossum | Didelphis virginiana | 152 | 24 (30%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling | |
White-tailed Deer | Odocoileus virginianus | 66 | 26 (33%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Loafing | |
Unidentified Rat 1 | Unknown | 214 | 32 (41%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling | |
Total mammals | 1708 | ||||
Reptiles | |||||
Crocodilians | |||||
American Alligator 2 | Alligator mississippiensis | 229 | 29 (37%) | Feeding/Foraging, Basking, Traveling | |
Snakes | |||||
Banded Watersnake | Nerodia fasciata | 25 | 16 (20%) | Feeding/Foraging, Basking, Traveling, Burrowing/Shelter | |
Canebrake Rattlesnake | Crotalus horridus | 1 | 1 (1%) | Traveling | |
Copperhead | Agkistrodon contortrix | 2 | 2 (2%) | Traveling | |
Corn Snake | Pantherophis guttatus | 3 | 3 (3%) | Traveling | |
Eastern Black Racer | Coluber constrictor | 188 | 37 (47%) | Basking, Burrowing/Shelter, Traveling | |
Eastern Cottonmouth | Agkistrodon piscivorus | 60 | 22 (28%) | Traveling | |
Eastern Kingsnake | Lampropeltis getula | 5 | 3 (3%) | Traveling | |
Eastern Rat Snake | Pantherophis alleghaniensis | 13 | 8 (10%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling | |
Ribbon Snake | Thamnophis sauritus | 65 | 24 (30%) | Feeding/Foraging, Basking, Burrowing/Shelter, Traveling | |
Ringneck Snake | Diadophis punctatus | 1 | 1 (1%) | Traveling | |
Rough Green Snake | Opheodrys aestivus | 3 | 3 (3%) | Traveling | |
Scarlet Snake | Cemophora coccinea | 2 | 1 (1%) | Traveling | |
Unidentified Snake 1 | Unknown | 72 | 25 (32%) | Basking, Traveling, Burrowing/Shelter | |
Lizards | |||||
Broad-headed Skink | Plestiodon laticeps | 38 | 15 (19%) | Basking, Traveling | |
Eastern Glass Lizard | Ophisaurus ventralis | 50 | 19 (24%) | Feeding/Foraging, Basking, Burrowing/Shelter, Traveling | |
Green Anole | Anolis carolinensis | 27 | 11 (14%) | Basking, Traveling | |
Ground Skink | Scincella lateralis | 1 | 1 (1%) | Basking | |
Unidentified Skink 1 | Unknown | 108 | 26 (33%) | Traveling | |
Unidentified Lizard 1 | Unknown | 21 | 11 (14%) | Basking, Traveling | |
Turtles | |||||
Eastern Mud Turtle | Kinosternon subrubrum | 13 | 9 (11%) | Burrowing/Shelter (Nesting?), Traveling | |
Yellow-bellied Slider | Trachemys scripta | 2 | 2 (2%) | Basking, Traveling, Nesting? | |
Total reptiles | 929 | ||||
Amphibians | American Bullfrog/Pig Frog | Lithobates catesbeiana/Lithobates grylio | 29 | 9 (11%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Breeding? |
Green Tree Frog | Hyla cinerea | 31 | 7 (8%) | Feeding/Foraging, Traveling, Breeding? | |
Southern Leopard Frog | Lithobates sphenocephala | 254 | 32 (41%) | Feeding/Foraging, Burrowing/Shelter, Traveling, Breeding | |
Unidentified Frog 1 | Unknown | 1194 | 55 (70%) | Feeding/Foraging, Burrowing/Shelter, Traveling, Breeding? | |
Total amphibians | 1508 | ||||
Invertebrates | |||||
Malacostracans | Red-jointed Fiddler Crab | Minuca minax | 7 | 1 [1%] | Traveling, Burrowing/Shelter |
Unidentified Fiddler Crab 1 | Minuca or Leptuca spp. | 247 | 17 [21%] | Traveling, Burrowing/Shelter | |
Insects | Fire Ant | Solenopsis invicta | Not quantified | Not quantified | Nesting |
Total Invertebrates | 254 |
Behavior | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Animal Group/ Common Name | Feeding/ Foraging | Basking | Nesting | Burrowing/ Shelter | Traveling | Loafing |
Birds | ||||||
Passerines | ||||||
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | 2 (40%) | 4 (80%) | ||||
Blue Grosbeak | – | – | – | – | – | 3 (100%) |
Blue Jay | – | – | – | – | – | 2 (100%) |
Boat-tailed Grackle | 2 (33%) | – | – | – | – | 4 (66%) |
Brown-headed Cowbird | 1 (100%) | – | – | – | – | – |
Brown Thrasher | 6 (60%) | – | – | – | – | 5 (50%) |
Carolina Wren | 16 (33%) | – | – | – | 1 (2%) | 35 (72%) |
Common Grackle | 10 (55%) | – | – | – | – | 8 (44%) |
Common Yellowthroat | 14 (31%) | – | – | – | – | 36 (80%) |
Eastern Kingbird | 19 (28%) | – | – | – | – | 63 (94%) |
Eastern Towhee | 1 (25%) | – | – | – | – | 4 (100%) |
Gray Catbird | 3 (100%) | – | – | – | – | – |
Great Crested Flycatcher | 2 (28%) | – | – | – | 6 (85%) | |
Northern Cardinal | 40 (24%) | – | – | – | 1 (0.6%) | 137 (83%) |
Northern Mockingbird | 9 (33%) | – | – | – | – | 19 (70%) |
Northern Waterthrush | 5 (50%) | – | – | – | – | 5 (50%) |
Orchard Oriole | 2 (50%) | – | – | – | – | 2 (50%) |
Painted Bunting | 10 (17%) | – | – | – | – | 50 (86%) |
Palm Warbler | 1 (50%) | – | – | – | – | 2 (100%) |
Prairie Warbler | – | – | – | – | – | 1 (100%) |
Red-winged Blackbird | 120 (37%) | – | – | – | 5 (1%) | 209 (65%) |
White-eyed Vireo | – | – | – | – | – | 1 (100%) |
Wading birds | ||||||
American Bittern | 1 (100%) | – | – | – | – | – |
American Woodcock | 10 (100%) | – | – | – | – | – |
Black-crowned Night Heron | 19 (79%) | – | – | – | – | 10 (41%) |
Clapper Rail | 99 (79%) | – | – | – | 36 (28%) | 16 (12%) |
Common Gallinule | 33 (71%) | – | – | – | 11 (23%) | 3 (6%) |
Great Blue Heron | 2 (50%) | – | – | – | 2 (50%) | 2 (50%) |
Great Egret | 1 (25%) | – | – | – | 2 (50%) | 1 (25%) |
Green Heron | 78 (88%) | – | – | – | 6 (6%) | 29 (32%) |
King Rail | 11 (100%) | – | – | – | – | 2 (18%) |
Least Bittern | 35 (77%) | – | – | – | 7 (15%) | 8 (17%) |
Little Blue Heron | 28 (100%) | – | – | – | 1 (3%) | 9 (32%) |
Snowy Egret | 6 (85%) | – | – | – | 1 (14%) | – |
Sora | 4 (100%) | – | – | – | – | – |
Tricolored Heron | 23 (47%) | – | – | – | 4 (8%) | 26 (54%) |
White Ibis | 38 (95%) | – | – | – | – | 11 (27%) |
Yellow-crowned Night Heron | 12 (92%) | – | – | – | 1 (7%) | 2 (15%) |
Raptors | ||||||
Black Vulture | 2 (40%) | – | – | – | – | 5 (100%) |
Cooper’s Hawk | 1 (100%) | – | – | – | – | – |
Eastern Screech Owl | 60 (86%) | – | – | – | – | 13 (18%) |
Red-shouldered Hawk | 1 (100%) | – | – | – | – | – |
Non-passerine land birds | ||||||
Common Ground Dove | 2 (100%) | – | – | – | – | – |
Downy Woodpecker | 1 (100%) | – | – | – | – | – |
Mourning Dove | 15 (60%) | – | – | – | 14 (56%) | |
Northern Flicker | 1 (100%) | – | – | – | – | – |
Waterfowl | ||||||
Black-bellied Whistling Duck | – | – | – | – | – | 14 (100%) |
Blue-winged Teal | – | – | – | – | 3 (75%) | 1 (25%) |
Mammals | ||||||
Bobcat | 4 (23%) | – | – | – | 7 (41%) | 6 (35%) |
Eastern Grey Squirrel | – | – | – | – | 1 (100%) | – |
Eastern Woodrat | 1 (100%) | – | – | – | – | – |
Marsh Rabbit | 335 (79%) | – | – | – | 120 (28%) | 9 (2%) |
Marsh Rice Rat | 97 (53%) | – | – | 4 (2%) | 98 (53%) | – |
Raccoon | 522 (80%) | – | – | – | 172 (26%) | 9 (1%) |
River Otter | – | – | – | – | 4 (100%) | – |
Virginia Opossum | 67 (44%) | 94 (61%) | ||||
White-tailed Deer | 29 (43%) | – | – | – | 37 (56%) | 6 (9%) |
Reptiles | ||||||
Crocodilians | ||||||
American Alligator | 6 (2%) | 112 (48%) | – | – | 123 (53%) | – |
Snakes | ||||||
Banded Watersnake | 4 (16%) | 5 (20%) | 1 (4%) | 17 (68%) | – | |
Canebrake Rattlesnake | – | – | – | – | 1 (100%) | – |
Copperhead | – | – | – | – | 2 (100%) | – |
Corn Snake | – | – | – | – | 3 (100%) | – |
Eastern Black Racer | – | 91 (48%) | – | 1 (0.5%) | 103 (54%) | – |
Eastern Cottonmouth | – | – | – | – | 60 (100%) | – |
Eastern Kingsnake | – | – | – | – | 5 (100%) | – |
Eastern Rat Snake | 2 (15%) | – | – | – | 11 (84%) | – |
Ribbon Snake | 4 (6%) | 20 (30%) | – | 1 (1%) | 45 (69%) | – |
Ringneck Snake | – | – | – | – | 1 (100%) | – |
Rough Green Snake | – | – | – | – | 3 (100%) | – |
Scarlet Snake | – | – | – | – | 2 (100%) | – |
Lizards | ||||||
Broad-headed Skink | – | 38 (71%) | – | – | 12 (31%) | – |
Eastern Glass Lizard | 4 (8%) | 2 (4%) | – | 5 (10%) | 44 (88%) | – |
Green Anole | – | 23 (85%) | – | – | 5 (18%) | – |
Ground Skink | – | 1 (100%) | – | – | – | – |
Turtles | ||||||
Eastern Mud Turtle | – | – | ? | 2 (15%) | 11 (84%) | – |
Yellow-bellied Slider | – | 1 (50%) | ? | – | 1 (50%) | – |
Amphibians | ||||||
American Bullfrog/Pig Frog | 19 (65%) | – | – | – | 11 (37%) | – |
Green Tree Frog | 23 (74%) | – | – | – | 10 (32%) | – |
Southern Leopard Frog | 196 (77%) | – | – | 15 (5%) | 75 (29%) | – |
Malacostracans | ||||||
Red-jointed Fiddler Crab | – | – | – | 7 (100%) | 7 (100%) | – |
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Rainwater, T.R.; Singh, R.; Tuten, C.A.; Given, A.M.; Gibbons, P.W.; Song, B.; Platt, S.G.; Wilkinson, P.M.; Bodinof Jachowski, C.M. Fauna Associated with American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) Nests in Coastal South Carolina, USA. Animals 2024, 14, 620. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14040620
Rainwater TR, Singh R, Tuten CA, Given AM, Gibbons PW, Song B, Platt SG, Wilkinson PM, Bodinof Jachowski CM. Fauna Associated with American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) Nests in Coastal South Carolina, USA. Animals. 2024; 14(4):620. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14040620
Chicago/Turabian StyleRainwater, Thomas R., Randeep Singh, Clarissa A. Tuten, Aaron M. Given, Parker W. Gibbons, Bo Song, Steven G. Platt, Philip M. Wilkinson, and Catherine M. Bodinof Jachowski. 2024. "Fauna Associated with American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) Nests in Coastal South Carolina, USA" Animals 14, no. 4: 620. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14040620