

They include the house mouse, which is common to the point of ubiquity even though it is not native to the state. South Carolina also has a wealth of rodents, many of whom do find their way into buildings. The cougar was extirpated from the state, and its subspecies, the eastern cougar is extinct. The bobcat is South Carolina’s only extant big cat. Rabbits found in South Carolina are the eastern cottontail, one of the most commonly seen rabbits, the swamp rabbit, and the marsh rabbit. Bats often roost in caves or in people’s attics or barns. Among the bats found in South Carolina are the big brown bat, the little brown bat, the evening bat, the eastern pipistrelle, and the hoary bat. Though people are wary of bats, they perform an important role in the ecosystem by eating mosquitoes and other insect pests such as cockroaches, Japanese beetles, leafhoppers, and cucumber beetles. The coyote has also made its way into South Carolina as it has into other parts of North America. If it is still found in South Carolina, it must be the rarest of canines, and its status is critically endangered.Ĭanines that are not endangered are the grey fox and the red fox, which are also visitors to people’s yards. Some also claim that this canine is actually a cross between a wolf and a coyote.

Though the gray wolf seems to have been extirpated from the state, some claim that the red wolf can still be found in South Carolina’s forests. The West Indian manatee, a strange and peaceable creature somewhere between a walrus and a dolphin, is also found off South Carolina. Other marine mammals are the goose beaked whale, the sperm whale, the harbor seal, and the harbor porpoise, and other types of dolphins, beaked whales, and pilot whales. It is where the rare loggerhead turtle hauls out to dig nests in the sand and lay eggs.īesides the bottlenose dolphin and the right northern whale that visits seasonally, marine mammals found off South Carolina’s coasts include the minke, sei, bowhead, fin, and humpback whales. Hunting Island State Park is a barrier island that’s home to alligators, deer, diamondback rattlesnakes, and many types of fish, including barracuda. Other sites are Kings Mountain State Park and Paris Mountain State Park, with their many varieties of birds and fish. Its waters hold many species of fish, including catfish. Other areas are Caesars Head State Park, where visitors can find black bears, try to get a glimpse of the endangered green salamander, and fish for trout in the rivers.įound only 18 miles from Columbia, the state capital, Congaree National Park is home to feral pigs, otters, bobcats, and armadillos. In these parks, the visitor can glimpse the less common animals such as the badger, the mink, alligators, and the long-tailed weasel.Īmong the state and national parks is Table Rock State Park in Pickens County where people can fish for the state fish, the striped bass as well as catfish, trout, and bream at Pinnacle Lake and Lake Oolenoy. However, South Carolina does have 47 state parks that cover 9000 acres from the southern coast to the mountains. All manner of birds, opossums, raccoons, skunks, wild hogs, and white-tailed deer are frequent visitors to farms and backyards. Where To Find The Top Wild Animals in South CarolinaĪ citizen of the state won’t need to travel far to experience South Carolina’s wildlife. The official migratory marine mammal is the northern right whale, which comes to the coastal waters to give birth. The bottlenose dolphin is commonly seen off the coast of the state.
