154 
J. Whitfield Gibbons and Julian R. Harrison III 
Table 4. Numbers of reptiles and amphibians seen or heard during timed trips 
along established transects (see text). 
TRANSECT 
TOTAL 
TOTAL EXCLUDING 
TURTLES AND ALLIGATORS 
Species 
Individuals 
Species 
Individuals 
No. 
No./ Hr. 
No. 
No./ Hr. 
KIAWAH 
1 
(Develop- 
ed Area) 
10 
16 
2.3 
7 
8 
1.2 
2 
10 
75 
11.5 
10 
75 
11.5 
3 
13 
>200 
>25 
12 
>200 
>25 
CAPERS 
1 
6 
123 
22.4 
4 
19 
3.5 
2 
7 
23 
6.6 
7 
23 
6.6 
3 
8 
>50 
>10 
7 
>50 
>10 
observed in the developed section (Table 4). Although the number of 
species noted was not appreciably different from that along the other 
transects, the reduction in relative abundance of individuals was signifi- 
cant. Ten to twenty times as many individuals of terrestrial species (aquat- 
ic turtles and alligators excluded) were seen in an equivalent collecting 
time in the forested parts of the island compared with the developed area. 
The contrast among different areas on Capers Island is less than that 
on Kiawah. However, fewer species and individuals were present along 
the two forested transects than on the transect that crossed the major dike 
complex on the south end of Caper’s Island. The diversity of habitats 
crossed by this transect presumably accounts for the increase in numbers 
of species and individuals. 
The forested areas of Kiawah Island clearly have a higher species diver- 
sity and relative density of individuals on the basis of these comparisons 
than do the woodlands of Capers Island. However, even the poorest 
transect on Capers Island yielded higher numbers of animals observed 
per hour than did the developed part of Kiawah. 
Alligator Counts 
Daytime and nighttime visual counts were made of alligators on both 
islands (Table 5). Alligators occur in high densities in most freshwater 
and some brackish habitats on both Kiawah and Capers islands. Except 
for the presumed absence of large alligators in Sparrow Pond, now part 
