Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains
The 5 mammals you can find at Great Smoky Mountains, like the American black bear — sizes, diets, and whether you should worry.
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Mammal American black bear
Ursus americanus
The bear you're most likely to meet east of the Rockies, a strong tree-climber that eats mostly plants and comes in black, brown, or cinnamon.
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Mammal Eastern chipmunk
Tamias striatus
A busy striped ground squirrel that stuffs seeds into stretchy cheek pouches and hides them in an underground pantry.
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Mammal Eastern gray squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
A gray acrobat of the oak woods that buries nuts one by one and sometimes forgets where, sprouting new forests by accident.
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Mammal Little brown bat
Myotis lucifugus
A tiny brown flyer that hunts insects over water at dusk and sleeps in caves and barns, eating half its own weight in bugs each night.
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Mammal White-tailed deer
Odocoileus virginianus
The most common large mammal in eastern parks, running through the woods and waving a white tail like a flag when it bolts.