Wildlife in the Sandhills

by Chris Mowry, Ph.D.

The unique physiographic region known as the Carolina Sandhills is well known for its historic and iconic golf courses, but its sandy-soiled habitats are also home to a variety of charismatic plants and animals.

Wildlife in the Sandhills: A Biologist’s Guide to Pinehurst’s Golf Course Habitats

Earth’s physiographic regions are defined by their geologic structures and natural history, and that means wind-blown sand sheets and rolling dunes in the Sandhills.

Architect Donald Ross recognized this landscape as an ideal canvas for his golf course designs, allowing nature to do most of the heavy lifting. Mother Nature started with majestic longleaf pines — which have both long needles and long lives — and they are found throughout the Sandhills because they thrive in dry, sandy soils. Most other plants can’t tolerate these xeric/harsh conditions. Nevertheless, there is a wonderful array of wildlife amongst the pines. Here are a few to keep an eye or ear out for:

  • Red-cockaded woodpecker (photo by J.P. Moss)

These ingenious bioengineers don’t actually sport much red, but they lead fascinating lives. As cavity nesters who require old longleaf pines, the birds peck away high up in the tree until they hit the soft interior wood, hollowing it out to make a chamber where eggs are laid. In the process, sap runs down the length of the tree, which the woodpeckers rely on to keep out snake invaders. This valuable real estate stays in the family and is used year after year.

  • Fox squirrel (photo by Larry Wilson)

Most people are used to seeing common red or gray squirrels, but fox squirrels are larger and rarer. With a long bushy tail — hence the “fox” part of their name — these animals can be seen running along the ground at Pinehurst golf courses eating the seeds that fall out of the large longleaf pinecones.

  • Pine Barrens tree frog (photo by Larry Wilson)

This little frog is named for the New Jersey Pine Barrens, but its limited distribution also includes the Carolina Sandhills. As the official state frog of North Carolina, their comical, nasal “honk” call can be heard from April to September.

  • Northern pine snake (picture above from Conferous Forest)

The presence of this nonvenomous snake is a good indication of a healthy longleaf pine ecosystem. Most of their time is spent underground, but they will occasionally come to the surface between May and October. Nothing to fear when you see them!

  • Salamanders (photo of a marbled salamander by Chris Mowry)

Marbled, tiger, and spotted salamanders are beautiful animals, but they are rarely seen. As amphibians living in the dry Sandhills, they, too, spend most of their lives underground to prevent desiccation. However, they do show themselves on occasion, especially after rainfall.

  • Coyote (photo by Larry Wilson)

While these animals are not unique to the Sandhills, their presence is linked to the canid that once roamed this landscape: the red wolf. Red wolves were driven to near extinction in the wild by human activities over the past 100 years and they are now only found in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge near North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

However, the red wolf’s loss was the coyote’s gain, as they simply moved east to fill the void. Despite the concern that the coyotes’ presence instills in some people, they tend to avoid humans, and as predators, they’re a useful and necessary component of a healthy ecosystem by keeping other species, such as rodents, in check.

Chris Mowry is a professor of biology at Berry College in Rome, Ga., where he teaches courses in behavioral ecology and conservation biology. As an animal ecologist, he specializes in coyotes and African primates. He is also an avid golfer.

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