Animals & Plants of Shenandoah National Park
The 4 animals, plants, and fungi you can find at Shenandoah National Park, with sizes, diets, and whether you should worry. See the full park guide at Shenandoah National Park.
Anything here that bites?
Keep away
- American black bear: Black bears are usually shy and would rather leave than meet you.
- White-tailed deer: White-tailed deer normally run from people.
Bites if handled
- Eastern gray squirrel: Nearly none.
Everything else on this page is harmless. What each group means.
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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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Fish Brook trout
Salvelinus fontinalis
A small, wormy-patterned native fish with red spots ringed in blue, the only trout that truly belongs in the cold high streams of the Smokies and Shenandoah.
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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 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.