Animals

Alligators are found in warm, swampy habitats.

NPS photo

Animal life abounds in the park, from the worms that burrow underfoot, to the people whose feet are burrowed under. The reason that animals are found here in such abundance has to do with our name. Notice that even though most people travel through the park by car on a paved road, we are not called the "Natchez Trace Roadway". Rather, we are very deliberately called the "Natchez Trace Parkway", with emphasis on the "park". The Parkway includes not just the road and mowed shoulders, but a swath of property extending outwards an average of 400 feet in each direction. Being that the parkway is 444 miles long, this means that the park acts as a "greenway", or habitat corridor, for the myriad of animal species that inhabit this part of the country. However, since the paved parkway itself extends down the middle of this greenway, it is vitally important that drivers slow down and pay attention in order to avoid making road-kill of the park's creatures. Please help us by obeying posted speed limits while traveling within the park.

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Park:

Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail Natchez Trace Parkway

Select a Species Category (optional):

All Amphibians Birds Fish Mammals Reptiles Vascular Plants

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Species attribute definitions

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  Amphibians

  Amphibians are Plentiful

  The Parkway has a lot of moist areas. Amphibians abound all along the Parkway.

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  Birds

  Our birds are migratory and year-round

  Whether you are an avid birder, or new to the hobby, the Parkway provides numerous opportunities to see and hear a variety of of birds.

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  Mammals

  Bears, deer, foxes, beavers and more!

  The Natchez Trace Parkway provides a safe corridor for wildlife to move between neighboring National Forests, State Parks, and other lands.

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  Reptiles

  Turtles, lizards, alligators, & snakes.

  The Parkway is home to over 40 different species of reptiles, including alligators, turtles, and snakes.