Rare Wolverine Spotted In California For Only The Second Time In Nearly A Century
Language
Reading Level
Listen to Article
Alignment
A lone wolverine traversing across Northern California is sending ripples of excitement across the Golden State. It is only the second sighting of the mammal in the state in almost a century. The wolverine has been captured on camera multiple times in different areas of the eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range since May 2023.
On June 1, 2023, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) confirmed that the various photos portray the same individual.
"Wolverines can travel great distances, making it likely that the recent sightings are all of the same animal," said CDFW Senior Environmental Scientist Daniel Gammons. "Because only two wolverines have been confirmed in California during the last 100 years, these latest detections are exciting."
The agency is working with the National Park Service to obtain the wolverine's hair, scat, or saliva from feeding sites. They hope the genetic samples will give them more insights into the animal.
The previous wolverine to visit California was an individual nicknamed Buddy. He was spotted several times in the Tahoe National Forest from 2008 to 2018 before disappearing. Prior to that, California's last confirmed wolverine sighting was in 1922.
Wolverines are the largest members of the weasel family, which also includes badgers and otters. The bear-like live for about 13 years in the wild. The animals prefer colder weather and can be found primarily at high altitudes with alpine vegetation. They prey on small to medium-sized animals like squirrels and rabbits. In winter, when food is scarce, wolverines use their powerful noses to seek out carcasses left by larger predators.
The mammals were once common across California. However, the loss of habitat caused by human settlement decimated the species. By 1922, they had all disappeared from the state. There are currently just 300 wolverines left in the US. The mammals' worldwide population has also dwindled to about 20,000 specimens. They can be found in northern Canada, Siberia, Scandinavia, and Russia.
Resources: CNN.com, KTLA.com, wildlife.ca.gov
Get the Workbook for this article!
Workbook contains: Article, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking Questions, Vocabulary in Context (+ answers), Multiple Choice Quiz (+ answers), Parts of Speech Quiz (+ answers), Vocabulary Game (+ answers)Cite Article
Learn Keywords in this Article
82 Comments
rosie_posieover 1 yearthey're so cute!
book_addictover 1 yearIt’s kinda cute… but only the second time in a century!? That’s really rare!
turtle124over 1 yearcool, huh
naturelover59over 1 yeari think the wolverines are cute, and it kind of makes me sad when knowing that there are only 300 wolverines left in the united States! It's really amazing that this is only the second time in a century (or so) that they have been spotten!
adroit_avimimusover 1 yearThat's what conservation efforts are for! And they, for most of the time, work! Hopefully these wolverines' populations goes back up!
theguy9over 1 yearOnly the second time in nearly a century? Incredible!
memezi3over 1 yearbut way thy so fluffy tho
amirkover 1 yearNice video, I’ve learned something new!!
kittycatlover11over 1 yearthoes are so fluffy and kinda scary.....😬- turtle124over 1 yearnot scary only fluffy
- naturelover59over 1 yearI think they're cute
julianowakowskaover 1 yearwhy do you think that it is scary
rosco164over 1 yearWhen will that ever happen again? Its kind of cool🙂🙂- rosie_posieover 1 yearWOW!!!!! i wish a rare animal ends up in my backyard...
- turtle124over 1 yearme too
- naturelover59over 1 yearYES! Me too! That would be so amazing if i could see it...
zzninjaover 1 yearWOW
