Skier Records Elusive Wolverine Moments Before It Charges Up The Mountain
Montana-based skier Nick Gaddy shared a pretty special sighting to Instagram a week ago.
Skiers are no strangers to wildlife: bears, coyotes, and... wolverines?
While the mountain isn't fully covered, it appears Nick gets fresh tracks (how nice is that snow?) and Nick captioned the video, "The Gulo Gulo! Saw my second wolverine in the wild while skiing this afternoon."
Wolverines are different than wolves, and look nothing alike.
According to the Montana Field Guides website, the Wolverine is a "bear-like mustelid with massive limbs and long, dense, dark brown pelage, paler on the head, with two broad yellowish stripes extending from the shoulders and joining on the rump."
It is similar to fishers and badgers.The Wolverine is native to Montana, but still rare to see.
Wolverines only live in areas with alpine tundra, and boreal and mountain forests (primarily coniferous) in the western mountains. They are more likely to be found in large wilderness areas.
Wolverines feed on smaller animals, such as voles, squirrels, snowshoe hares, and birds. Although Wolverines have been known to kill large animals such as moose, this is not the norm.
The Wolverine is officially an endangered species, so Nick got lucky on sighting not one, but two, of these creatures on the mountain.
He reported that this time, "unlike my first sighting, this time, I got a lot of time to watch."
He also made sure his viewers understood the precautions he took while watching, noting that "I did feel bad disturbing it, especially after Wolverines were recently added to the endangered species list, in part because 'Among other pressures on wolverines are skiers and snowmobilers encroaching into their high-attitude territory.' Still felt pretty special."
We appreciate the footage, and the caution he took in not bothering the Wolverine in its natural habitat!
Yet another reason to froth on early season conditions... less people disturbing the Wolverines, and the possibility of having your own sighting!
Related: Furry Creature Spotted Roaming The Slopes Of Utah Ski Area
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