Under the dock, the spider crab can look just like a rock. He
decorates his shell with smaller rocks for another layer of
camouflage. He plants algae on his back, a growing pantry during
times of slim pickings. The baby mud turtle has a tough shell,
it’s true, but one that can go down a prey’s gullet whole.
Because she won’t reach full size for 10 to 12 years, the little
mud turtle is an expert at hiding. And the harmless pine snake
makes a hiss that can scare not only a room full of 3 to 6 year
olds, but would-be predators like raccoons, too. “I like the big
snake, the scary one. That’s my favorite,” said May River
Montessori student Tyler Cameron on Friday morning after
Naturalist Tony Mills showed off the pine snake, a baby
alligator, a salamander, a terrapin turtle and several other
Lowcountry creatures. “Next time you see an animal on TV, think
about what it does to protect itself,” said Mills, a naturalist
and the education director for the nonprofit LowCountry
Institute on Spring Island. Mills believes