Ten Things You Probably Didn't know

1. Tennessee is considered by scientists to be the biologically richest inland state in the nation;

2. There are thought to be over 300 species of birds, 89 mammals, 70 amphibians and 61 reptiles in Tennessee;

3. Represented in its rivers, Tennessee is number one in total fish species diversity;

4. Tennessee is the global center of freshwater mussel diversity;

5.  Seven of the top eight most biologically diverse rivers in North America flow through Tennessee;

6. Tennessee's biodiversity is concentrated in the world's five most threatened types of plants and animal  - mussels, crayfish, amphibians, and flowering plants;

7. Tennessee is the state with the highest percentage of declining breeding bird populations;

8. There are thought to be more than 300 globally imperiled species/habitats in Tennessee;

9. Only 7% of Tennessee's globally imperiled species and about 3% of natural communities are "protected" by The Nature Conservancy and other agencies and organizations;

10. In all, Tennessee has lost at least 100 species of higher-order plants and animals, and another 250 animals and 600 plants are considered rare, threatened or endangered.