A mysterious beast roaming a Montana campsite has sparked the curiosity of thousands of Reddit users.
On a page dedicated to helping people identify animals seen in the wild, one user, Gyrtohorea, shared three photographs of a very rare mammal.
He wrote‘This guy came right up to our cooking spot while we were camping in Montana. What could he be?’
The photos show a furry black animal with a bear-like face and a long, fluffy tail running near their camp. In one shot, the animal looked directly at the camera as if posing.
Commentators were quick to identify the animal as a wolverine, which was listed as endangered in 2023.
A mysterious beast roaming a Montana campsite has sparked the curiosity of thousands of Reddit users
Commentators were quick to identify the animal as a wolverine, which was listed as endangered in 2023.
Among the 1,600 comments, one user wrote: “Holy crap, that’s a Wolverine. They’re amazing, they don’t let people see them. It’s a once in a lifetime thing. Congrats!”
Another person joked, “That’s Hugh Jackman,” referring to the iconic superhero Wolverine.
Following the interest his post generated, the hiker later explained that he had seen the wolverine during a trip with his wife to Cracker Lake in Glacier National Park in September 2017.
Describing the encounter, he said: ‘Whether it was the first or second night, the wind was absolutely whipping through the canyon we were in, and the air was thick with smoke, and we were calmly cooking our food in the designated food prep area, when my wife turns around and sees this guy about 10 feet away from us.
‘It reared up on its hind legs a bit as I stood up in surprise, then started running as I fumbled for my camera.’
Regina Domingo, a conservationist and wildlife expert, confirmed the species with Newsweek Magazine.
Domingo said wolverines are also known as carcajous. They may look like small bears, but they are technically large members of the weasel family.
The hiker later explained that he had seen the wolverine during a trip with his wife to Cracker Lake in Glacier National Park in September 2017.
The Reddit user wrote: ‘This guy walked up to our cooking spot while we were camping in Montana. What could he be?’
Wolverines look like small bears, but they are actually the largest member of the weasel family.
They weigh around 40 pounds and are far from shy; there are reports of the animals fighting with wolves over food.
However, if left alone, they usually do not pose any harm to humans.
The page moderator commented on the post: ‘Wolverines are not at all aggressive towards humans. Attacks are so incredibly rare that there has never been a single verified case of a wolverine attacking a human.
‘Wolverine mothers prefer to flee from humans rather than defend their cubs.’
The likelihood of hikers encountering wolverines in the wild is extremely low.
According to Conservation Northwest, there are fewer than 300 wolverines in the lower 48 U.S. states. The global population is unknown.
Wolverines prefer cold temperatures and are typically found in states such as Washington, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Oregon, according to Animals of ArizonaThey also live in Canada and Russia.
They are circumpolar animals, meaning they live in mountains in northern regions around the world.
Wolverines once frequented the Sierra Nevada in California and Utah, but capture in the 1920s wiped out those populations.
The ultra-rare creature shares a name with Hugh Jackman’s iconic Wolverine character.
Experts are concerned that climate change could be detrimental to the wolverines’ survival.
They have adapted to “deep snow” environments, according to the Defenders of Wildlife website.
The National Wildlife Federation has also pointed to climate change as the main reason wolverines are in danger.
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