Smoky Mountains Animals
As any visitor to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park can tell you, the Smokies are home to some of the most spectacular wildlife in North America! The park boasts 65 species of mammals, 67 varieties of fish, 80 types of reptiles and amphibians, and over 200 species of birds. People come from all over the country to catch a glimpse of these magnificent animals.
Protecting the park’s wildlife is no easy task. Some of the most popular animals in the Smoky Mountains were actually reintroduced by the National Park Service after the species were driven out of the area. Let’s take a look at three species in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that we almost love forever.
For many years, the once plentiful elk were absent from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Over-hunting and loss of habitat led to the local extinction of the species. According to historical records, the last elk in Tennessee was killed in the mid-1800s and the last elk in North Carolina was killed in the late 1700s.
Great Smoky Mountain Animals Finger Stuffed Animal Puppet Set
In 2001, the National Park Service launched a mission to reintroduce elk to the Smokies. 25 elk were relocated to the Great Smoky Mountains from the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area along the Tennessee-Kentucky border. In 2002, an additional 27 elk were brought to the Smokies from Elk Island National Park in Alberta, Canada.
Although the elk relocation program was experimental in nature, the results have been phenomenal. Today, there are about 200 elk in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! Scientists initially monitored the entire herd with radio collars, but now only a sample of the population is tracked electronically.
Researchers were surprised to find that the elk’s main predator have been black bears and not coyotes. Over time, female elk have learned to protect their newborns from bears. A satellite herd actually emerged in Balsam Mountain, because the elk discovered that they were less likely to be attacked by bears in this region.
How To See Your Favorite Smoky Mountain Wildlife In The National Park
The Cataloochee area is the best place for elk viewing in the national park, with early morning and late evening being the ideal times. The majority of the herd lives in Cataloochee Valley, although a smaller group is known to live around the Oconaluftee Visitor Center.
Peregrine falcons are another one of the animals in the Smoky Mountains that made an impressive comeback with some help from the National Park Service. Capable of reaching speeds of 200 mph, this bird of prey is the fastest member of the animal kingdom!
By 1965, the effects of the pesticide DDT had decimated the Peregrine falcon population in eastern North America. To reintroduce the species back into the region, the National Park Service used a technique called “hacking”, in which young birds that were were raised in captivity are released into historic breeding grounds.
Wildlife Watching In The Great Smoky Mountains • Travel Tips
44 fledgling Peregrines were released from four sites in Tennessee from 1984 – 1993. In 1997, biologists recorded the first successful breeding pair in the state, and the Peregrine population has been on the rise ever since.
Wildlife lovers looking to see a Peregrine falcon in person should come to the Smokies between late September and early October. A pair of falcons is known to nest along the Alum Cave Trail.
Popular for their fur, river otters in the Smokies were trapped to the point of local extinction. The last known sighting of a native otter was in Cataloochee Creek in 1936.
Smoky Mountain Wildlife: Bears, Snakes, & Other Species
In 1986, scientists launched a mission to bring otters back to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The program started off slowly, with otters being gradually introduced over time. Here is a quick look at the project:
If you want to see these adorable animals in the Smoky Mountains, the creeks and rivers listed above are a great place to start. One of our favorite places to see river otters is along the trail to Abrams Falls in Cades Cove.Great Smoky Mountains National Park contains some of the largest tracts of wilderness in the East and is a critical sanctuary for a wide variety of animals. Protected in the park are some 65 species of mammals, over 200 varieties of birds, 67 native fish species, and more than 80 types of reptiles and amphibians.
The symbol of the Smokies, the American Black Bear, is perhaps the most famous resident of the park. Great Smoky Mountains National Park provides the largest protected bear habitat in the East. Though populations are variable, biologists estimate approximately 1, 500 bears live in the park, a density of approximately two bears per square mile.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Animals
Of the 65 other mammal species documented in the park, the white-tailed deer, groundhog, chipmunk, and some squirrel and bat species are the most commonly seen. Over 200 species of birds are regularly sighted in the park, 85 of those migrate from the neotropics. Some 120 species nest here. Several bird species that are listed as Species of Concern breed here, making the park an important source for repopulating areas outside the park that are showing declines in the numbers of these birds.
Surrounded by warm lowlands, the cool, moist, climate of the park's highest elevations creates islands of habitat suitable for animals commonly found in more northern areas, allowing them to live far south of their present primary ranges. Northern species such as the northern flying squirrel, red squirrel, and rock vole thrive at high elevations, while the Northern Saw-whet Owl, Canada Warbler, Common Raven, and other birds reach their southern most breeding point here in the park.
Over 700 miles of streams in the park support fish. The park boasts over 50 native fish species, including the brook trout, whose fragile habitat is being wrested from the non-native rainbow and brown trout by active fisheries management. Low elevation, slower and warmer streams have the greatest aquatic diversity including four reintroduced federally threatened and endangered small fish: the Smoky Madtom, Yellowfin Madtom, Spotfin Chub, and Duskytail Darter.
Popular Animals Who Call The Great Smoky Mountains Home
Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been called the Salamander Capital of the World. Climatic and geologic factors have combined to spur the development of 30 salamander species in five families, making this one of the most diverse areas on earth for this order. In fact, lungless salamanders have undergone an extraordinary level of evolutionary diversification in the park-24 species inhabit the park, making it the center of diversity for the family.
Prior to park establishment in 1934, a number of animals native to the Smoky Mountains were eradicated by hunting, trapping, changing land uses, and other causes. Extirpated species include bison, elk, mountain lion, gray wolf, red wolf, fisher, river otter, Peregrine Falcon, and several species of fish. A primary goal of the National Park Service is to preserve the flora and fauna of the Smokies in a condition similar to that which existed prior to the arrival of modern, technological humans. In accordance with this mission, the National Park Service has helped reintroduce the river otter, elk, and Peregrine Falcon to the Smokies. Learn more about species now missing from the park.
As human activities dominate ever-larger portions of the American landscape, our national parks have become increasingly valuable as sanctuaries for rare and endangered wildlife. Endangered park animals include the northern flying squirrel, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Indiana bat, spruce-fir moss spider, and the Smoky madtom. View a complete list of Threatened and Endangered species. The Park Service has been involved in a number of efforts to save these species from extinction. Park resource management crews have conducted prescribed fires in old-growth pine-oak forest to create suitable nesting sites for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. Crews have also erected solid steel barricades at cave entrances to protect endangered bats from spelunkers during critical times of the year. Reintroduction programs have also increased the survival chances for Smoky madtoms and Peregrine Falcons.
The Top 5 Things To Do At Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Viewing wildlife in the Smokies can be challenging because most of the park is covered by dense forest. Open areas like Cataloochee and Cades Cove offer some of the best opportunities to see white-tailed deer, black bear, raccoon, Wild Turkey, woodchuck, and other animals. During winter, wildlife is more visible because deciduous trees have lost their leaves. Since many animals are most active at night, it can be advantageous to look for wildlife during morning and evening. It's also a good idea to carry binoculars. And don't forget to scan the trees-many animals spend their days among the branches.Smoky Mountain wildlife is abundant in all corners of the international biosphere reserve. Remember, all animals in the Smokies should be viewed from a distance and left undisturbed. Scan through the following descriptions to see what animals might cross your path while visiting the Smoky Mountains.
Willfully approaching a black bear within 50 yards (150 feet), or any distance that disturbs or displaces a bear, is illegal in the park. Violation of this federal regulation can result in fines and arrest. Use binoculars, telephoto lens, or a spotting scope to view the animals.
Black Bears inhabit all areas of the park. DO NOT FEED THE BEARS! It is very important that visitors not feed any animal they encounter in the national park; please realize bear
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