{"id":339498,"date":"2026-03-20T17:40:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T17:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/339498\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T17:40:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T17:40:16","slug":"great-smoky-mountains-wildlife-captured-in-15-breathtaking-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/339498\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Smoky Mountains wildlife captured in 15 breathtaking photos"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The\u00a0Great Smoky Mountains\u00a0lie like a group of slumbering giants along the border of North Carolina and Tennessee in the\u00a0south-east of the United States.<\/p>\n<p>This vast mountain range, named after the natural &#8216;smoky&#8217; fog that often sits in the valleys and around the peaks, is almost entirely protected by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/grsm\/index.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Great Smoky Mountains National Park<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/grsm\/learn\/nature\/index.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">National Park Service<\/a>, &#8220;Over 19,000 species have been documented in the park and scientists believe an additional 80,000-100,000 species may live here&#8221;, making the &#8216;Smokies&#8217; the most biodiverse park in the US national park system.<\/p>\n<p>Large animals that live within the range include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/mammals\/facts-about-black-bears\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">black bears<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/mammals\/moose-elk-difference\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">elk<\/a> and white-tailed deer. Then there are the smaller \u2013 yet no less spectacular \u2013 creatures, such as chipmunks, bats, newts, owls and bluebirds.<\/p>\n<p>These 15 photos capture the beauty of wild animals in the Great Smoky Mountains.<\/p>\n<p>Great Smoky Mountains wildlife<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Black-bear-cubs-in-Great-Smoky-Mountains.jpeg\" alt=\"Black bear cubs in Great Smoky Mountains National Park\" class=\"wp-image-157229\"\/>Two black bear cubs wait for their mother in the safety of a tree canopy. Credit: Marcia Straub\/Getty Images<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1414\" height=\"2119\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Fireflies-in-Great-Smoky-Mountains.jpeg\" alt=\"Fireflies in Great Smoky Mountains National Park\" class=\"wp-image-157233\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/>Forest fireflies captured at dusk. Credit: Nan Zhong\/Getty Images<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Elk-in-Great-Smoky-Mountains.jpeg\" alt=\"Elk in Great Smoky Mountains National Park\" class=\"wp-image-157227\"\/>Elk wander through golden autumn grass near Cherokee. Credit: Teresa Kopec\/Getty Images<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2145\" height=\"1398\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Turkey-in-Great-Smoky-Mountains.jpeg\" alt=\"Turkey in Great Smoky Mountains\" class=\"wp-image-157244\"\/>A turkey foraging among wildflowers at Cades Cove. Credit: Kelly VanDellen\/Getty Images<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1759\" height=\"2560\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Black-bear-in-the-Great-Smoky-Mountains-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"Black bear in Great Smoky Mountains National Park\" class=\"wp-image-157246\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\"\/>A young black bear with a pensive stare. Credit: Bill Boss\/Getty Images<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2120\" height=\"1415\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Owl-in-Great-Smoky-Mountains-National-Park.jpeg\" alt=\"Owl in Great Smoky Mountains National Park\" class=\"wp-image-157231\"\/>An owl finds a perch in Elkmont. Credit: Alisha Bube\/Getty Images<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Black-bear-sleeping-in-tree-in-Great-Smoky-Mountains.jpeg\" alt=\"Black bear in Great Smoky Mountains\" class=\"wp-image-157242\"\/>Nap time for this big black bear. Credit: Marcia Straub\/Getty Images<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Wildflowers-in-Great-Smoky-Mountains-National-Park.jpeg\" alt=\"Wildflowers in Great Smoky Mountains\" class=\"wp-image-157240\"\/>Wildflowers bloom at Newfound Gap. Credit: ehrlif\/Getty Images<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2160\" height=\"1388\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Eastern-bluebird-in-Great-Smoky-Mountains-National-Park.jpeg\" alt=\"Eastern bluebird in Great Smoky Mountains National Park\" class=\"wp-image-157234\"\/>An eastern bluebird taking a break. Credit: m-kojot\/Getty Images<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2130\" height=\"1407\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Red-spotted-newt-in-Great-Smoky-Mountains-National-Park.jpeg\" alt=\"Red-spotted newt in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA\" class=\"wp-image-157238\"\/>A red-spotted newt on the damp forest floor. Credit: Robert Cable\/Getty Images<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Black-bear-in-a-tree-in-Great-Smoky-Mountains.jpeg\" alt=\"Black bear in a tree in Great Smoky Mountains National Park\" class=\"wp-image-157248\"\/>An inquisitive black bear at Cades Cove. Credit: Yivven Z\/Getty Images<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2299\" height=\"1304\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Female-elk-in-Great-Smoky-Mountains.jpeg\" alt=\"Female elk in Great Smoky Mountains\" class=\"wp-image-157237\"\/>Female elk lie low in a frosty meadow. Credit: Kathy Gasper\/Getty Images<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Parula-warbler-singing-in-spring-in-the-Great-Smoky-Mountains.jpeg\" alt=\"Parula warbler singing in Great Smoky Mountains National Park\" class=\"wp-image-157236\"\/>A parula warbler sings its springtime song. Credit: Wildnerdpix\/Getty Images<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2120\" height=\"1414\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Wild-deer-grazing-in-a-field-at-sunrise-in-Great-Smoky-Mountains-National-Park.jpeg\" alt=\"Deer in Great Smoky Mountains National Park\" class=\"wp-image-157249\"\/>Deer grazing in a field at sunrise. Credit: Blue Barron Photo\/Getty Images<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Black-bear-deep-in-the-forests-of-Great-Smoky-Mountains-National-Park.jpeg\" alt=\"Black bear in Great Smoky Mountains\" class=\"wp-image-157225\"\/>A large black bear searches for autumn acorns. Credit: Jared Lloyd\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>More wildlife from around the US<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The\u00a0Great Smoky Mountains\u00a0lie like a group of slumbering giants along the border of North Carolina and Tennessee in&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":339499,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[111,139,69,147,406],"class_list":["post-339498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=339498"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/339498\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/339499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=339498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=339498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=339498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}