Think of wildlife in U.S. national parks, and certain images pop to mind: Bears. Bison. Elk. Wolves.
All spectacular critters, to be sure. But the National Park Service protects a wide range of wildlife, large and small. Some of these species are cryptic or elusive. But other smaller denizens offer fascinating viewing opportunities.
For example, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known as “The Salamander Capital of the World.” More visitors come to this national park than any other, but most will miss these noted biological treasures: salamanders. Great Smoky Mountains is home to dozens of species of these amphibians.
The area is particularly important for lungless salamanders. As their name implies, they lack lungs – they “breathe” through tiny blood vessels and linings of their nose and throat. They are especially diverse in the Smokies.
Want to go salamander spotting? The best bet is to hike as far as you can away from the crowds. Please don’t disturb rocks or vegetation, but watch quietly on wet, spring days when the creatures are most active. If you just sit still near wet rocks, they will almost come to you.
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I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. I live in Western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my door, so the content will focus on these areas, but let me know what you would like to see on the site. 
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Every time I go hiking I take one thing out of each Park I hike, Photographs. I don’t push over trees looking for bugs to take or pick wildflowers growing near the trails. i don’t chase salamanders or toads or deer or bears or any other wildlife. Too often parents let children scoop up wildlife and take it home like it belongs to them,it does not. Thousands and thousands of people go into the woods and UN-intentionally destroy the natural order of things,but they do and they will and education is the only way to stop this. More laws are a waste of time and tax money, more Park Police is just stupid because we go into the woods to escape the world not drag it in.