156 
J. Whitfield Gibbons and Julian R. Harrison III 
could be collected by hand, marked, and measured on subsequent trips. 
This permitted an estimate of the population size and was an indication 
of the demography of P. scripta on Capers Island (Gibbons et al. 1979). 
Captures of marked P. scripta during six different months from May 
1978 to June 1980 resulted in fairly consistent Lincoln index estimates of 
54 to 73 (x=60.7, S.E.=3.05) adult animals. No juveniles were captured. 
Mark-rlease-recapture studies were also conducted on Kiawah Island 
in 1974-75 (Gibbons and Coker 1978) and in 1978-79. However, few 
recaptures were made due to the difficulty of collecting large samples. 
This was partly because the many freshwater habitats gave greater oppor- 
tunity for dispersal on Kiawah. 
Pseudemys scripta from the two islands are characteristically large, 
show rapid juvenile growth rates, and have populations primarily made 
up of adults (Gibbons and Coker 1978; Gibbons et al. 1979). Turtle 
populations on the barrier islands warrant further investigation in an 
attempt to understand the ecological and evolutionary significance of 
their uniqueness. 
Important Species 
Although several species of reptiles and amphibians encountered on 
Kiawah or Capers Islands were common, certain ones emerged as the 
most abundant and apparent forms during the periods of study. 
Alligator. — The American Alligator is unquestionably the dominant 
reptile on both Kiawah and Capers Islands. Both adult and young indi- 
viduals were observed at one time or another in almost every freshwater 
habitat on both islands. Nests or recent hatchlings also were observed, 
indicating that populations on the islands are reproductively active and 
self-perpetuating. 
Turtles. — Only one species of freshwater turtle, P. scripta, was 
abundant on either island. This species was restricted to aquatic habitats 
and was not observed in waters of high salinity. Kinosternon subrubrum 
may be present on both islands in greater numbers than our observations 
suggest. Some of the few specimens were associated with brackish 
marshes, a habitat not intensively sampled during the study period since 
on the mainland it is not normally frequented by Kinosternon in this 
region of the country. 
Lizards. — Of the several species of lizards found on the two islands, 
those in the family Scincidae are invariably the most abundant and 
apparent in areas having forest litter of any sort. Scincella laterale is 
dominant on both islands, especially in forested areas where pine needles 
are an important component of the forest floor. However, in ubiquity 
and relative abundance, Anolis carolinensis is the dominant arboreal 
species. Despite the apparent availability of suitable habitats throughout 
