Local

Animal encounters with bears, sharks, alligators along Myrtle Beach area’s coast

Stories by Sun News journalists, with AI summarization

The articles highlight how animal encounters shape South Carolina's coast. All focus on the interplay between people and wildlife, covering changes in animal movement, human responses, and official regulations.

Sightings include bait balls off Myrtle Beach, where lifeguards clear swimmers because sharks and other predators may hunt in these fish schools. Baby great white sharks swim closer to Pawleys Island, surprising charter captains used to other species.

Alligator activity rises as temperatures climb. One massive alligator crosses a Huntington Beach State Park sidewalk, captured in a video that draws national attention.

A black bear was spotted in the tourist district of North Myrtle Beach and residents catch sight of a possible cougar in Horry County.

A coyote triggers a Woodlands Network trail camera in an eastern North Carolina wildlife refuge. The animals can be easily confused for wild red wolves, whose population dwindled as low as few as seven wolves in the wild in recent years. There are between 32 and 34 red wolves in the wild now, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with 278 in captivity.

NO. 1: ARE YOU SEEING MORE COYOTES AROUND YOUR SC PROPERTY? HERE’S WHY AND HOW TO PROTECT PETS

Coyotes are more active this time of year in South Carolina and can become aggressive. Here’s what to expect and how you can legally to hunt the animals. | Published January 17, 2025 | Read Full Story by Emalyn Muzzy

Wildlife photographer Dan Krieger captured a rare picture of an orange alligator in his Little River neighborhood on Feb. 9, 2025.

NO. 2: ORANGE ALLIGATOR PHOTOGRAPHED IN THE WILD IN SC. THE REASON FOR THE WEIRD COLOR IS FASCINATING

A photographer recently snapped this pic of an orange alligator in South Carolina. An expert explains why the gator is such an unusual color. | Published February 13, 2025 | Read Full Story by Maria Elena Scott

Horry County Police captured an escaped kangaroo and returned the marsupial to its owner on March 22, 2025.

NO. 3: DID HORRY COUNTY POLICE CAPTURE A KANGAROO? LISTEN TO OWNER TELL HOW THE GOAT LET HIM OUT

From monkeys to emus, a fair share of exotic animals have gone on the run in South Carolina. | Published March 23, 2025 | Read Full Story by Emalyn Muzzy

A baby Great White Shark. Photo courtesy of Robert Snow, OCEARCH. By R. Snow

NO. 4: BABY GREAT WHITE SHARK WAS SPOTTED OFF THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST. HERE’S WHERE

A local fishing charter company reported seeing a baby Great White Shark. Here’s what we know about the encounter. | Published April 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Elizabeth Brewer

Darlene Quattrone Doepp’s picture of an odd mantis shrimp in North Myrtle Beach sparked jokes and theories on Facebook.

NO. 5: BIZARRE SEA CREATURE WASHES UP IN NORTH MYRTLE BEACH. AN SC MARINE BIOLOGIST JUST IDENTIFIED IT

A picture of this odd animal that washed up in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina sparked everything from lewd jokes to genuine theories from Facebook users. Here’s what the creature actually is, according to a marine biologist. | Published May 23, 2025 | Read Full Story by Maria Elena Scott

Birders converged on Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh last year to photograph a rare painted bunting. The bird has been spotted in the park again in the past week. By Bob Karp

NO. 6: NEW LIVE SC WEBCAM SHOWS ONE OF THE STATE’S BEST BIRDING SPOTS. TAKE A LOOK

This state park boasting the most species of birds anywhere in the Carolinas just launched a camera to watch birds in real time. Check it out. | Published May 27, 2025 | Read Full Story by Maria Elena Scott

An alligator was spotted on the beach at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet, SC. It’s not unusual to see the reptiles sharing the sand and sea with beachgoers. By Facebook screenshot

NO. 7: ALLIGATOR SPOTTED STROLLING ON THIS SC BEACH. SEE VIDEO OF REPTILE SHARING THE SAND

SC visitors shared a video online of a large alligator taking a stroll along the beach. It’s not unusual for the reptiles to share the sand and see with beachgoers. | Published June 18, 2025 | Read Full Story by Alexa Lewis

A black blob appeared off the coast of Cherry Grove in this 2024 file photo. It’s most likely a giant school of fish. By Marie King

NO. 8: WHAT ARE THOSE DARK SPOTS IN THE OCEAN? HERE’S WHY LIFEGUARDS WANT YOU TO AVOID THEM

What are those dark spots in the water and why are lifeguards so concerned about them? All you need to know about bait balls in Myrtle Beach | Published June 23, 2025 | Read Full Story by Win Hammond

A manatee with a satellite tracker attached to its fin. This helps marine scientists track the movements of the manatee and learn more about the species. By South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

NO. 9: MANATEES SPOTTED AT MURRELLS INLET, SC DOCKS. SEE ONE IN THIS VIDEO

Manatees popped up at a boat marina in Murrells Inlet, SC. The marina manager said it is not the first time boaters spotted the gentle giants. | Published June 30, 2025 | Read Full Story by Emalyn Muzzy

A screenshot of local photographer Austin Bond’s video of a massive alligator walking through Huntington Beach State Park. By Screenshot

NO. 10: MASSIVE MYRTLE BEACH AREA ALLIGATOR IS FEATURED ON NATIONAL TV NEWS. SEE VIDEO

An alligator in this Myrtle Beach area community made national news this week. See the video for yourself here. | Published July 10, 2025 | Read Full Story by Elizabeth Brewer

Christy James Reise posted a photo of sea butterflies that have been washing ashore in the North Myrtle Beach area. The creatures are actually snails with long, needle-like shells that can get stuck to swimmers’ suits and sting. By Provided by Christy James Reise

NO. 11: GLASS-LIKE CREATURES WASHING ASHORE IN MYRTLE BEACH AREA. BE CAREFUL – THEY STING

They look like pieces of fiberglass piled up along the sand in the Myrtle Beach area. | Published August 22, 2025 | Read Full Story by Terri Richardson

A photo supposedly taken Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, from a trail cam in Galivants Ferry shows a cougar in the woods. The photo was posted on Facebook and shared multiple times by people. By Facebook screenshot

NO. 12: IS THERE A COUGAR ROAMING AROUND HORRY COUNTY? WHAT SC WILDLIFE OFFICIALS SAY

A photo on a trail cam in Galivants Ferry shows what appears to be a cougar roaming in the woods in the early morning hours Thursday and Friday. | Published October 3, 2025 | Read Full Story by Terri Richardson

A black bear was spotted in North Myrtle Beach Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. The bear was seen near a hotel on South Ocean Boulevard. By Screen shot from Facebook video

NO. 13: BLACK BEAR BECAME TOURIST IN NORTH MYRTLE BEACH. VIDEO SHOWS HIS NIGHTTIME VISIT

People at a North Myrtle Beach bar got a treat Wednesday night as a black bear was spotted trotting along Ocean Boulevard. | Published November 13, 2025 | Read Full Story by Terri Richardson

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.