An elusive creature known for its ferocious hunting skills has been caught on camera during a rare sighting in Pennsylvania.
The elegant forest-dwelling mammal, known as the fisher, was thought to have been eliminated in the Keystone State due to unregulated hunting and mass deforestation in the late 19th century.
At the time of the last trail camera sighting in the Murrysville Forest, the fisherman had previously only been seen in areas two to three hours away.
“I put the camera on an old fallen log in a remote area and kept it there for several months,” said Bill Powers, founder of wildlife streaming service PixCams. Murrysville Star.
“I pulled out the SD card last week and to my surprise it captured a photo of a fisherman in mid-June,” he continued.
The forest-dwelling mammal, known as the fisher, was wiped out in Pennsylvania due to unregulated hunting and mass deforestation in the late 19th century.
Bill Powers, founder of wildlife streaming service PixCams, recently posted a fisherman’s footage and described the sighting as “like Christmas morning.”
Powers described the discovery of the footage as “like Christmas morning.”
‘You never know what you might see. “That’s how it was yesterday,” he added.
The fisher is a medium-sized carnivore and the second largest member of the weasel family in Pennsylvania.
Adult males can weigh up to 15 pounds and females up to nine pounds. Males are usually longer, between 35 and 48 inches, while females are usually between 30 and 37 inches.
Surprisingly, fishermen are not named for their fishing skills, as the omnivorous member of the weasel family does not typically eat fish.
Instead, the animal was named for its similar characteristics to the European polecat, or “fitch.”
At the time of the rare sighting, captured by live-streamed wildlife cameras, the fisherman had only been seen in areas 2 to 3 hours away.
Surprisingly, fishermen are not named for their fishing skills, as the omnivorous member of the weasel family does not typically eat fish, but was named for its characteristics similar to those of the European polecat, or “fitch.”
Fishermen use their sense of smell to locate prey and are famous for their extraordinary ability to stalk porcupines, one of the few mammals that does so.
A porcupine’s dangerous quills make it difficult to kill, but the stealthy fisherman targets the rodents’ vulnerabilities, such as the head and face.
Anglers also hunt rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, mice, reptiles, and occasionally cats outdoors.
The forest mammal is unique among forest carnivores in that it is well adapted to feeding effectively both within the canopy and on the ground, often by munching on berries and fruits.
The fisher is most commonly found in Massachusetts, New England, New York, and southern Canada, with few sightings in Pennsylvania.
Powers, who aims to help people connect with nature through his live-streamed wildlife recordings, described the sighting as “super rare, like finding a needle in a haystack.” Pictured: Bill Powers assembling an outdoor camera device
Because loggers and farmers cleared much of the forest land to make way for the industry, the fisher population declined before intentional reintroduction efforts by wildlife advocates brought them back to northern New England.
Known to avoid open areas such as fields and roads, the fisherman prefers forest habitats, which have been affected by climate change.
Powers, who aims to help people connect with nature through his live-streamed wildlife recordings, described the recent sighting as “super rare, like finding a needle in a haystack.”