Wildlife in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

28,670
Total Species
16
Categories
19
Threatened
2,806
Native Species

Great Smoky Mountains National Park documents 28,670 species, including 19 federally threatened or endangered taxa — making it a priority park for conservation monitoring.

Species Inventory by Category

Insect12,398Fungi5,243Spider/Scorpion4,630Vascular Plant2,163Non-vascular Plant1,039Other Non-vertebrates993Chromista654Bacteria294Slug/Snail291Bird267Protozoa257Crab/Lobster/Shrimp125Fish110Mammal101Amphibian58Reptile47

Taxonomic Order Distribution

Top 12 orders by species count in this park.

Order Category Species Families
Araneae Spider/Scorpion 4,252 69
Coleoptera Insect 4,115 120
Diptera Insect 2,366 92
Lepidoptera Insect 2,211 61
Agaricales Fungi 1,318 30
Hymenoptera Insect 1,143 57
Hemiptera Insect 1,115 66
Lecanorales Fungi 538 20
Poales Vascular Plant 381 5
Trichoptera Insect 321 23
NA Fungi 320 24
Russulales Fungi 298 12

Native vs Non-Native Composition

Native: 2,806 species (10%)
Non-native: 538 species (2%)

Common Native Wildlife

Abundant or commonly-observed native species recorded in Great Smoky Mountains National Park:

Species Scientific Name Category Abundance
Eastern American Toad Anaxyrus americanus Amphibian Abundant
Black-throated Green Warbler Setophaga virens Bird Abundant
Blue-headed Vireo Vireo solitarius Bird Abundant
Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis Bird Abundant
Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla Bird Abundant
Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus Bird Abundant
American mudworm Sparganophilus eiseni Other Non-vertebrates Abundant
aquatic oligochaete worm Aulodrilus pigueti Other Non-vertebrates Abundant
aquatic oligochaete worm Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri Other Non-vertebrates Abundant
aquatic oligochaete worm Nais behningi Other Non-vertebrates Abundant

Federally Listed Threatened & Endangered Species

19 species in Great Smoky Mountains National Park carry federal threatened or endangered status.

Species Category Status Nativeness
Appalachian Avens Vascular Plant EN Native
Carolina northern flying squirrel Mammal EN Native
DUSKYTAIL DARTER Fish EN Native
GRAY MYOTIS, Gray bat Mammal EN Native
GRAY WOLF Mammal EN Native
Indiana Myotis, Social Bat Mammal EN Native
NORTH CAROLINA FUNNELWEB TARANTULA Spider/Scorpion EN Native
northern Myotis, Keen's Myotis Mammal EN Native
Red-cockaded Woodpecker Bird EN Native
Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Insect EN Unknown
SMOKY MADTOM Fish EN Native
Cumberland moccasinshell Other Non-vertebrates NA Unknown
Tennessee clubshell Other Non-vertebrates NA Unknown
Tennessee pigtoe Other Non-vertebrates NA Unknown
Tricolored bat Mammal NA Native
NOONDAY HELIX Slug/Snail NA Native
Spotfin chub Fish NA Native
Virginia Meadowsweet Vascular Plant NA Native
YELLOWFIN MADTOM Fish NA Native

Tracked Non-Native Species

Non-native species documented in the park inventory:

Species Scientific Name Category Abundance
Green Treefrog Hyla cinerea Amphibian Uncommon
Band-rumped Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro Bird NA
Brant Branta bernicla Bird NA
Chestnut-collared Longspur Calcarius ornatus Bird Occasional
Chukar Alectoris chukar Bird NA
Common Peafowl Pavo cristatus Bird NA
Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus Bird NA
Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris Bird Rare

Abundance Profile

Abundance Level Species Count Percentage
NA 7,328 25.6%
Rare 1,564 5.5%
Common 1,143 4%
Uncommon 1,122 3.9%
Abundant 288 1%
Occasional 117 0.4%