Georgia Habitats

Georgia Mountains Habitat

The mountains in Georgia were formed

over a billion years ago!Brasstown Bald is in the Georgia mountains. It is

the highest point in Georgia rising over 4,784

feet above sea level.

The mountain region of Georgia contains some of the oldest rocks in the state. The Blue Ridge mountain range is part of the Appalachian Range. It is older than both the Rockies and the Himalayas. The base of the Blue Ridge formed over a billion years ago, but the bulk of our mountains was created from oceanic sediments between 200 and 450 million years ago. This means that our mountains were once under sea!

Mountain Habitat

The trees and plants in the

mountain habitat are the same as the Piedmont!

The mountain region is known for its cove forests, which are unique to the Appalachian mountains. The upper story of trees include basswood, tulip poplar, maples, and hemlock. Smaller trees in the understory are magnolia, dogwood and redbud. Wildflowers bloom from March until May, making a colorful carpet for the forest floor.

tulip poplar

maple

magnolia

dogwood

Mountain HabitatLand Animals

Mountain Lions

Eastern Cottontail

Rabbit

Bobcat

• The black bear is found in the mountain region, and also in the swamp and marsh region. It can reach almost 500 pounds. Humans are the only known predators of the black bear. The bears are not usually aggressive to people, but they do like to hang around camping sites looking for food to eat. They will eat plants, insects, and smaller animals. Bears sometimes hibernate in order to survive during the cold mountain winters.

The mountain region is popular because of its many hiking trails and trout streams for fishing. There are also over 27 species of salamanders found in this area, more than anywhere else in the world. A salamander is an amphibian, and begins its life in water but moves onto land as it grows. Animals that live in the mountains can include bobcats, gray foxes, beavers and woodchucks.

Mountain Habitat Land Animals

Black Bear

Red Fox

Mountain Habitat Water Animals

American ToadThis frog prefers to be in rocky, mountainous places, but you can find it in lots of other habitats too!

River OttersBrown trout

Mountain AnimalsBirds

The mountain forests are home to many different types of birds. Some of them are the woodpecker, the nuthatch and various species of warblers. The forest provides food and shelter for these birds. Their curved beaks help these birds find seeds and insects in the forest trees. Their short claws are good for gripping and resting on the tree branches.

warblernuthatch

woodpecker

Mountain AnimalsBirds

Great Horned Owl

What Am I?Test your knowledge of mountain wildlife and plants! Decide

with your elbow partner if the list below is a mammal (M), fish (F), bird (B), amphibian (A), or a plant (P)

nuthatch black bear

salamander magnolia

woodpecker bobcat

gray fox warbler

maple trout

Click to check your answers!

Answer Key

B nuthatch M black bear

A salamander P magnolia

B woodpecker M bobcat

M gray fox B warbler

P maple F trout