<P> Timber rattlesnakes--one of two venomous snake species in the Smokies--are found at all elevations in the range . The other venomous snake, the copperhead, is typically found at lower elevations . Other reptiles include the eastern box turtle, the eastern fence lizard, the black rat snake, and the northern water snake . </P> <P> The Great Smokies are home to one of the world's most diverse salamander populations . Five of the world's nine families of salamanders are found in the range, consisting of up to thirty - one species . A type of Jordan's salamander known as the redcheeked salamander is found only in the Smokies . The imitator salamander is found only in the Smokies and the nearby Plott Balsams and Great Balsam Mountains . </P> <P> Two other species--the southern gray - cheeked salamander and the Southern Appalachian salamander--occur only in the general region . Other species include the shovelnose salamander, blackbelly salamander, eastern red - spotted newt, and spotted dusky salamander . The legendary hellbender inhabits the range's swifter streams . Other amphibians include the American toad and the American bullfrog, wood frog, upland chorus frog, northern green frog, and spring peeper . </P> <P> Fish inhabiting the streams of the Smokies include trout, lamprey, darter, shiner, bass, and sucker . The brook trout is the only trout species native to the range, although northwestern rainbow trout and European brown trout were introduced in the first half of the 20th century . The larger rainbow and brown trout outcompete the native brook trout for food and habitat at lower elevations . As such, most of the brook trout found in the park today are in streams above 3,000 feet in elevation . Trout in the Smokies are generally smaller than other members of their species in different locales . Protected fish species in the range include the smoky and yellowfin madtom, the spotfin chub, and the duskytail darter . </P>

Where does the water come from in the smoky mountains