Question 1

What are the chances of seeing a Southern Gray-cheeked Salamander in Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

Accepted Answer

With luck. About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Gray-cheeked Salamander sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 277 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 22nd most-seen of the 36 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

Question 2

When is the best time to see a Southern Gray-cheeked Salamander in Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

Accepted Answer

May to September. In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Gray-cheeked Salamander in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months.

Question 3

What time of day is best to see a Southern Gray-cheeked Salamander?

Accepted Answer

Between 10 am and 1 pm. Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Gray-cheeked Salamander sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.

Question 4

Where else can you see a Southern Gray-cheeked Salamander?

Accepted Answer

Only Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in our data. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Southern Gray-cheeked Salamander sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Question 5

Which relatives of the Southern Gray-cheeked Salamander live in Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

Accepted Answer

Same genus: Plethodon. The closest relatives of the Southern Gray-cheeked Salamander that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (genus Plethodon, Woodland Salamanders) are Red-cheeked Salamander (about 50%), Southern Red-backed Salamander (about 40%) and Northern Slimy Salamander (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Question 6

Where does the Southern Gray-cheeked Salamander sighting chance come from?

Accepted Answer

GBIF citizen-science records. It is estimated from how often the Southern Gray-cheeked Salamander is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (277 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

Southern Gray-cheeked Salamander

About the Southern Gray-cheeked Salamander

Recent sightings of Southern Gray-cheeked Salamander in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

Closest Relatives at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Red-cheeked Salamander

Southern Red-backed Salamander

Northern Slimy Salamander

Southern Zigzag Salamander

Southern Appalachian Salamander

Blue Ridge Two-lined Salamander

Spring Salamander

Seal Salamander

Imitator Salamander

Red Salamander

Pygmy Salamander

Cherokee Mountain Dusky Salamander

Before you go