Wildlife |
The Great Smoky Mountains |
The park holds 65 mammal species. The 7oo pound Elk is the largest, it was brought to the park in 2001. The rare pygmy shrew is the smallest and weighing less than a dime. The most common are the white tail deer, while the bobcat and coyote are hard to find. The largest preadotor in the park is the black bear. Other carnivores that live in the park are coyotes, red foxes, and grey foxes.
The American Black Bear is probably the most famous in the park. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the biggest bear habitat in the east. Biologists estimate there could be around 1,500 bears living in the park. The bears can see in color and have a very good sense of smell. The bears can run up to 30mph and they can climb and swim very well.
The Great Smokey Mountains have a huge population of salamanders, it is known as the “Salamander Capital of the World”. The national park has five types of salamanders: Cryptobranchidae, Proteidae, Salamandridae, Ambystomatidae, and Plethodontidae. The main type of salamander in the park is the Plethodontidae, which are salamander without lungs. The park contains 24 species of the lungless salamanders. The lung-less salamanders breathe through the walls of small blood vessels in their skin and through linings of their mouth and throats.
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One of The Great Smoky Mountains National Parks jobs is to help preserve native plants and animals on the land that it manages. One example of this would be protecting elk. Elk over the past several hundred years have started to be killed off. A person should never touch or move elk calves. This is why The Great Smoky Mountains National Park looks to protect endangered and at risk animals.
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