Sea Turtles
Unlike freshwater turtles, sea turtles live in the ocean. Sea turtles live mostly in warm waters around the world and are graceful swimmers, with long flippers that enable them to travel long distances. The Loggerhead turtles that live in the waters surrounding Hilton Head bury their eggs in the sand away from predators. The female turtle will crawl out of the water to lay her eggs before she retreats back to sea. Baby sea turtles hatch at night and instinctively run towards the water where they can live to be up to 100 years old!

The American Alligator
You will actually find Alligators living in the lagoon at Fiddler's Cove! All alligators live near fresh water - such as swamps, ponds, and lakes. Alligators are "cold blooded", and live near the water to help them maintain an even body temperature. Alligators prefer to stay in the water during the night, and usually spend their days lying in the sun. If it's especially hot, they will slip back into the water to cool off. Alligators also cool themselves down by opening their mouths wide. The evaporation helps cool them, very much like when a dog pants. During very cold winters, alligators will dig deep into the mud and hibernate. American Alligators can grow to 14 feet in length (the record is 19 feet 2 inches!), can weigh over 500 pounds, and live up to 50 years.

Sand Dollars
If you've strolled along a beach in Hilton Head, you've probably seen a sand dollar. But what is a sand dollar? These fragile disks are actually the skeleton of a marine animal. Like its close relative the sea urchin, the sand dollar has five sets of pores arranged petal pattern. The pores are used to move sea water into its body which allows for movement. Sand dollars live on top of or just beneath the surface of sandy or muddy areas. Anyone who would like to collect their shells should comb beaches as the tide recedes. The very best time for collecting is after a heavy storm, as many of the shells that have died are brought to the beach by the increased wave action.

Dolphin
Many dolphins live happily in the waters surrounding Hilton Head Island. There are about 200 dolphins that make Hilton Head their year-round home, and many more visit each year. Dolphins can frequently be seen from the beaches of Hilton Head as they feed offshore, or can be spotted from a boat as they playfully swim alongside. A dolphin is not a fish, even though it might look like one at first glance. Dolphins are mammals. Mammals are warm-blooded animals that bear their young live and nurse on mother's milk - just like humans do.

Dolphins are very playful! They love to follow boats, leap from the water, and ride the waves. Dolphins jump from the water so dramatically that they seem to do it just for fun! Dolphins also like to talk. They communicate with each other – but in a language that sounds to us like clicks, squeaks, pops and whistles. The clicking sounds that dolphin make is called "echolocation". Dolphins use echolocation just like a submarine uses sonar. A dolphin sends clicking sounds out into the water, and if the clicks echo back, it means the sound bounced off of an object. A dolphin can tell if the object is a fish, a squid, a shark or even a boat - without even seeing it. Dolphins can echolocate over a distance of more than 2,500 feet... that's about half a mile!

Dolphins can live up to 20 years old or longer. Hilton Head Island offers several "dolphin watch" boat excursions where you can see dolphins up close for yourself!

Green Anole
You will find little Green Anoles around the Villas in Fiddlers Cove! The Green Anole is a common lizard. They are small with a narrow head and a long, slender tail that can be twice as long as the rest of the their body! Similar to a chameleon, their color can change from gray-brown, to brown, to bright green because each animal can alter its color to blend with their surroundings!! You might notice some have bright pink pouches under their necks that puff up. Those are the males, making sure they defend their territory! Anoles eat small insects and spiders. They prefer to be in trees or shrubs, but can also be found on walls and fences. As with all natural creatures…looking, but don’t touching is important! Especially Anoles, which don’t like being handled at all!

 
The Ghost Crab
Have you ever taken an evening stroll on a Hilton Head beach and seen a ghost? It may have been a Ghost Crab, not a spirit from another world! This crustacean’s name comes from its ability to blend in with sand, and alternately "appear" and "disappear" into the sand. The tiny Ghost Crab can run up to 10 miles per hour! Their speed, camouflage and "periscope" eyes - that see 360º - provide protection from predators like gulls and dogs. At night, Ghost Crabs gather food and go down to the sea to wash water over their gills for oxygen, and then return to their burrows at dawn.