Only six wolverines are thought to live in Yellowstone National Park. The mammal is a solitary, powerfully muscled member of the weasel family.
Park visitor Carl Kemp was on a tour through the world’s first national park on March 5, when he spotted a wolverine in the middle of the road.
The furry animal galloped back and forth in the snow as Kemp and his daughter Maya looked on.
Tour guide MacNeil Lyons from Yellowstone Insight tours encountered the elusive animal, which was found in the northeast corner of the park between Lamar Valley and Cooke City.
He has been working in various jobs at Yellowstone for over two decades, and this is the first time he has seen a wolverine up close within the park.
“It was unbelievable that this creature was right in front of us,” he said.
Contrary to the name, the wolverine isn’t closely related to wolves. Rather, it’s a part of the weasel family, which also includes badgers, ferrets and otters, according to the US Department of the Interior.
Despite not being related to wolves, wolverines have a love-hate relationship with them. Wolverines sometimes eat the animal carcasses left over by wolves, said Rebecca Watters, executive director of The Wolverine Foundation.
However, wolves won’t hesitate to kill the mammals when in a direct conflict with them, she added.
Wolverines prefer a colder climate, with temperatures in August reaching no higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius), Watters said.
Source
VIDEO
Park visitor Carl Kemp was on a tour through the world’s first national park on March 5, when he spotted a wolverine in the middle of the road.
The furry animal galloped back and forth in the snow as Kemp and his daughter Maya looked on.
Tour guide MacNeil Lyons from Yellowstone Insight tours encountered the elusive animal, which was found in the northeast corner of the park between Lamar Valley and Cooke City.
He has been working in various jobs at Yellowstone for over two decades, and this is the first time he has seen a wolverine up close within the park.
“It was unbelievable that this creature was right in front of us,” he said.
Despite not being related to wolves, wolverines have a love-hate relationship with them. Wolverines sometimes eat the animal carcasses left over by wolves, said Rebecca Watters, executive director of The Wolverine Foundation.
However, wolves won’t hesitate to kill the mammals when in a direct conflict with them, she added.
Source
VIDEO
Wow. In superb condition, too. Nice to see.