In 2007, Travis Scott from Coastal Carolina University studied bat species richness and habitat use on Spring Island. Six species of bats (out of 11 species previously documented in Beaufort County) were identified during the study (big brown bat, Brazilian free-tailed bat, Seminole bat, evening bat, tricolored bat, little brown bat). The lower diversity may have been an artifact of the island effect. Bats were identified both acoustically (through sound recordings) and through trapping. The bats used a variety of open and edge habitats.

Research projects like this demonstrate that it is possible to still maintain wildlife habitat in residential communities. Spring Island also served as a study site for the 2015 Bat Blitz.