Animals of East Tennessee

December 04, 2020
Photo of an opossum

Now Read City USA's Tails and Tales, our million hour reading expedition, trains its focus on local habitats. Much of the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee is in the conifer zone, where the climate and environment, due to the high altitude, contains trees commonly associated with more northern climates, such as firs, spruce, and hemlock. The area's topographical complexity of peaks, ridges, valleys, and coves creates a setting for a wide variety of plant life, including some 1,300 species of flowering plant and 131 species of trees. Animals in East Tennessee are largely characteristic of high elevation (mountain) ecosystems, forest ecosystems, freshwater ecosystems, and cave ecosystems. Animals found in East Tennessee include bats, chipmunks, foxes, bobcats, black bears, salamanders, raccoons, and opossums.

Crafts

photo of colorful salamander made by folding and gluing paperComplete an Accordion Black Bear and an Accordion Salamander for our East Tennessee exploration. When complete, log another hour in the Tails and Tales reading challenge. 

Don't have a printer? Pick up new crafts each month at any library location.

Book lists

Join us as we explore the region! This book list highlights the animals and habitats of East Tennessee, and the people who encounter them.

Juvenile

Teen

Adult Fiction

Adult Nonfiction