Otters in the Smokies
Classification – Animalia – Chordata – Mammalia – Carnivora – Mustelidae – Lutrinae – Lontra – Canadensis Who doesn’t love an otter? I am sure that we have all spent time at the zoo watching these delightful creatures cavorting in the water. There almost human reactions and interactions make them a joy to watch and […]
Whitetail Deer
Classification: Animalia – Chordata – Mammalia – Artiodactyla – Cervidae – Capreolinae – Odocoileus – Virginianus The whitetail deer is a common sight along the roads and in the valleys of the Smoky Mountains. While they might not be as hard to find as the black bear or as large and imposing as the elk, […]
Beavers in the Smokies
Classification – Animalia – Chordata – Mammalia – Rodentia – Castoridae – Castor – Canadensis The North American Beaver is a large rodent, one of the largest in the Smoky Mountains, that spends most of its time in the water, building dams to change the course of the water systems to establish homes for it […]
Chipmunks
When you walk trails in the lower elevations of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park you are bound to see Chipmunks. These furry, striped members of the squirrel family have fascinated people for thousands of years with their antics as the frisk about the Smoky Mountains. The term chipmunk comes from the Odawa word Ajidamoo […]
Wildlife in the Smokies
From tiny bugs to the mighty elk, the animals in the Smokies come in all shapes and all sizes. The diversity extends to all manner of critters. The protection that these animals are afforded inside the national park allow you to get closer than you will be able to in most places around the country. […]
Non-Native Animals in the Smokies
Though the Park Service does try its hardest to keep animals and plants that are not native to the Smokies from harming the ecosystem for the GSMNP, over the years there have been several animals and insects that have been introduced into the environment. Wild Boar – In the early part of the 20th century, […]
Synchronous Fireflies
Classification: Animalia – Anthropoda – insect – Coleoptera – Polyphaga – Elateriformia – Elateroidea – Lampyridae Around June of each year, an insectile phenomenon occurs. The fireflies in the Elkmont area begin to blink. Now, of course, you expect fireflies to blink but in this part of the Smokies – they blink in synchronization with […]