GATLINBURG (WATE) – The Great Smoky Mountains National park contains some of the largest tracts of wilderness in the East and is a critical sanctuary for a wide variety of animals.

Protected in the park are some 65 species of mammals, over 200 varieties of birds, 67 native fish species, and more than 80 types of reptiles and amphibians. The park is making it easier to find where many of those species are located with their new species mapper.

The species mapper allows users to track various species and even compare them to other species in the park. The project is part of a Discover Life in America partnership with the National Park Service, seeking to inventory all of the species of living organisms in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The project has documented over 15,000 organisms to date. The project will develop checklists, reports, maps, databases, and natural history profiles that describe the biology of this rich landscape to a wide audience.

The park service says the project was developed within an ecological and conservation context and encourages understanding at other levels of organization, including genetic variation within species and ecosystem descriptions.More:Great Smoky Mountains National Park species mapper