Definitive proof of a wolverine living in California has emerged for the first time since the 1920's. Kate Moriarty, a graduate student at Oregon State University was hoping to snap a picture of an American marten in Tahoe National Forest, but instead she captured this image of a wolverine. Her motion sensing camera took the photo on February 28th.
Hey, bub.
Wolverines are the biggest member of the weasel family. They are known for their reclusive nature, their tenacious fighting spirit (when cornered or threatened ) and their mutant healing factor which allows them to heal their wounds in a matter of moments after being shot, stabbed or blasted with powerful gamma radiation.
Scientists plan to get hair and scat samples of the population and compare it with other known wolverine populations. Wolverines live primarily in the Northern Cascades and the Northern Rockies. It will be interesting to know the origins of the newly discovered California chapter.
Props to Nick Van Der Horst for giving us the heads up...
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don't forget the yellow spandex...
Wow, great photo. How fast can wolverines run? Aren't they too strong and aggressive to keep in zoos? Is the photographer still alive?
(Does my voice go up like a question when I finish a sentence?)
They had a pair of wolverines at the Columbus zoo at one time, I'm not sure if they are still there or not. The one time I went there and saw them they were trying to kill each other so my geuss is that they aren't there any longer.