A wolverine was caught on Yellowstone’s trail camera for the first time, the park said. SCREENGRAB FROM YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
A super rare and quite elusive creature was caught on camera for the first time within Yellowstone National Park, officials said.
Yellowstone park officials said one of the wild’s rarest mammals triggered a trail camera last month and was seen on video for the first time ever.
“Wolverines, mid-sized carnivores in the weasel family that typically occupy high-elevation alpine and forest habitats, exist in low densities in the park and are rarely detected,” Yellowstone officials wrote Wednesday on Facebook.
There are only seven documented wolverines in Yellowstone and nearby national forest, according to the National Park Service. They can be between 38 and 47 inches long, and weigh between 13 and 31 pounds.
They’re “active year-round” and breed from April to October, according to the National Park Service. During the winter months, they “den in deep snow.”
Biologists have used trail cams to monitor cougar activity in the park since 2014. This video was quite the surprise for park officials!