Wildlife in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Here’s what naturalists are spotting in Great Smoky Mountains right now - pulled live from recent research-grade observations. Browse by group, explore the map, and identify what you find with Huck.
Naturalists have logged 47,678 research-grade observations across the 30 most-recorded species in Great Smoky Mountains. The most frequently seen is the American Black Bear, with 3,475 recorded sightings.
Plants account for the largest share of what gets recorded there (19 of the species listed here), followed by mammals (3).
Rarer finds confirmed in Great Smoky Mountains include Cherokee Blackbelly Salamander - uncommon enough that a sighting is worth logging.
Most-observed species in Great Smoky Mountains
Built from recent research-grade iNaturalist observations. Identifications are community-sourced and may occasionally be wrong, and the ranking reflects where people record and photograph wildlife, so a species seen often here is not necessarily rare elsewhere. Some plants and animals are only out in certain seasons. Treat this as a lively snapshot of what people are finding, not a formal checklist.
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