In Case You Didn't Know ...There are 66 mammals known to live in the park. Two of these species had not been discovered to live in the park until after Discover Life in America began its work in the late 90's, recruiting scientists from all over the world to help park staff make great strides into inventorying all living things.
What features distinguish a mammal from other animals with backbones? Well, for one, they have hair. Then there are also other more technical things like a four-chambered heart, the presence of a part of the brain called a neocortex, three middle ear bones, and, of course, mammary glands. Another very interesting thing is that the mammal's brain regulates the animal's body temperature, and thus mammals are called warm-blooded.
DLIA recognizes long-time friend and former member of our Board of Directors, Dr. Don Linzey, for his excellent research, and for his assistance as a much-appreciated resource of information on the mammals of the Smokies.
See more on the Great Smoky Mountains National Park info on Mammals - click
HERE Linzey, D. W. 1995a. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Inc., Blacksburg, Virginia.
Linzey, D. W. 1995b. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park-1995 Update. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 111(1): 1-81.
Nichols, Becky. 2007. Personal communication, Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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