Capers Island is a state-owned barrier island on the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
in
Charleston County,
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
about 15 miles north of the city of
Charleston. It is separated from the mainland by salt marshes and the
Intracoastal Waterway
The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following t ...
. To the southwest it is separated from the barrier island
Dewees Island by Capers Inlet. To the northwest, it is separated from the barrier island
Bulls Island by Price Inlet.
The island is named for Bishop
William Theodotus Capers, a native of South Carolina.
Visiting
Capers Island is undeveloped and maintained by the State of South Carolina. There is a small dock on Capers Inlet that has a boardwalk across the marsh to an unpaved nature trail which leads to the beach approximately 1 mile to the southeast. Primitive camping is permitted. However, a free permit must be acquired from the State Department of Natural Resources and is limited to 80 campers per night in no more than 20 groups.
Natural Habitat
Capers Island is a barrier island with a number of discrete habitats including:
*Maritime uplands
*Sandy beach
*Salt marsh
*Brackish ponds
Flora
Plant species on the island include:
*
Sabal palm
Fauna
Numerous animal species inhabit the island and surrounding waters and marshes on a seasonal or permanent basis.
Mammals
*
Raccoon
The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of ...
*
White-tailed deer
The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...
*
Bottlenose dolphins
Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus ''Tursiops.'' They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus definitively contains two species: the comm ...
Birds
*Bald eagle
*Osprey
*Egret
*Heron
*Ibis
*Bittern
*Brown pelican
Reptiles
*American alligator
*Loggerhead sea turtle
*eastern diamondback rattlesnake
*timber rattlesnake
*carolina pygmy rattlesnake
*cottonmouth
Fish
*Bull shark
*White shark
*Bonnethead shark
*Sea trout
*Red drum
*Flounder
*Black drum
*Whiting (fish), King whiting
*Spot croaker, Spot
*Pompano
*Sciaenidae, Croaker
red drum
Crustaceans
*Shrimp
*Ghost crab
*Blue crab
*Fiddler crab
Mollusks
*Oyster
References
Islands of South Carolina
Barrier islands of South Carolina
{{SouthCarolina-stub