Great Smoky Mountains - Fauna

Fauna

The Great Smoky Mountains are home to 66 species of mammals, over 240 species of birds, 43 species of amphibians, 60 species of fish, and 40 species of reptiles. The range has the densest black bear population east of the Mississippi River. The black bear has come to symbolize wildlife in the Smokies, and the animal frequently appears on the covers of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's literature. Most of the range's adult eastern black bears weigh between 100 pounds (45 kg) and 300 pounds (140 kg), although some grow to more than 500 pounds (230 kg).

Other mammals in the Great Smokies include the white-tailed deer, the population of which drastically expanded with the creation of the national park. The bobcat is the range's only remaining wild cat species, although sightings of mountain lions— which once thrived in the area— are still occasionally reported. The coyote is not believed to be native to the range, but has moved into the area in recent years and is treated as a native species. Two species of fox— the red fox and the gray fox— are found in the Smokies, with red foxes being documented at all elevations. European Boars, introduced as game animals in the early 20th century, thrive in Southern Appalachia but are considered a nuisance due to their tendency to root up and destroy plants. The boars are seen as taking food resources away from bears as well, and the park service has sponsored a program that pays individuals to hunt and kill boars and leave their bodies in locations frequented by bears. The Smokies are home to over two dozen species of rodents, including the endangered northern flying squirrel, and 10 species of bats, including the endangered Indiana bat. The National Park Service has successfully reintroduced river otters and elk into the Great Smokies. An attempt to reintroduce the red wolf in the early 1990s ultimately failed.

The Smokies are home to a diverse bird population due to the presence of multiple forest types. Species that thrive in southern hardwood forests, such as the Red-eyed Vireo, Wood Thrush, Wild Turkey, Northern Parula, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and Tufted Titmouse, are found throughout the range's lower elevations and cove hardwood forests. Species more typical of cooler climates, such as the Northern Raven, Winter Wren, Black-capped Chickadee, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Dark-eyed Junco, and Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, and Canada warblers, are found in the range's spruce-fir and northern hardwood zones. Ovenbirds, Whip-poor-wills, and Downy Woodpeckers live in the drier pine-oak forests and heath balds. Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles have been spotted at all elevations in the park. Peregrine Falcon sightings are also not uncommon, and a Peregrine falcon eyrie is known to have existed near Alum Cave Bluffs throughout the 1930s. Red-tailed Hawks, the most common hawk species, have been sighted at all elevations in the range. Owl species residing in the Smokies include the Barred owl, Eastern Screech-Owl, and Northern Saw-whet owl.

Timber rattlesnakes— one of two poisonous snake species in the Smokies— are found at all elevations in the range. The other poisonous snake, the copperhead, is typically found at lower elevations. Other reptiles include the eastern box turtle, the fence lizard, the black rat snake, and the northern water snake.

The Great Smokies are home to one of the world's most diverse salamander populations. Five of the world's nine families of salamanders are found in the range, consisting of up to thirty-one species. A type of Jordan's salamander known as the redcheek salamander is found only in the Smokies. The Imitator salamander is found only in the Smokies and the nearby Plott Balsams and Great Balsam Mountains. Two other species— the Southern gray-cheeked salamander and the Southern Appalachian salamander— occur only in the general region. Other species include the shovelnose, Blackbelly Salamander, Eastern Red-spotted Newt, and Spotted Dusky salamander. The legendary hellbender inhabits the range's swifter streams. Other amphibians include the American toad and the American bullfrog, wood frog, Upland chorus frog, Northern green frog, and spring peeper.

Fish inhabiting the streams of the Smokies include trout, lamprey, darter, shiner, bass, and sucker. The brook trout is the only trout species native to the range, although Northwestern rainbow trout and European brown trout were introduced in the first half of the 20th-century. The larger rainbow and brown trout outcompete the native brook trout for food and habitat at lower elevations. As such, most of the brook trout found in the park today are in streams above 3,000 feet in elevation. Trout in the Smokies are generally smaller than other members of their species in different locales. Protected fish species in the range include the smoky and yellowfin madtom, the spotfin chub, and the duskytail darter.

The lightning-bug firefly Photinus carolinus, whose synchronized flashing light displays occur in mid-June, is native to the Smoky Mountains with a population epicenter near Elkmont, Tennessee.