iStockphoto / slowmotiongli
As one of the rarest animals in all of North America, with less than 300 of them estimated to live in the lower 48 states (there are more in Canada), seeing a wolverine in the wild is the thrill of a lifetime for any nature lovers fortunate enough to lay eyes on them.
One of these incredibly rare animals made an appearance in recent days in Eugene, Oregon. Residents in a South Eugene neighborhood were stunned when the wolverine made a mid-day appearance and was seen running around yards.
This rare animal has been the talk of the town after multiple clips were filmed of the iconic mammal:
Local news is calling it “one of the rarest animal sightings ever” in Eugene, Oregon which is a city surrounded by the Cascade Mountains, literally cocooned by unbridled wilderness which leads to all sorts of incredible animal sightings for locals.
It’s actually quite fitting that this wolverine in Oregon would be captured on home security cameras because they’re most often seen through motion-activated trail cameras. Actually seeing one out in the wild is incredibly rare even for people who live in wolverine territory. Population estimates are primarily gathered through trail cam footage because sightings are so rare.
This sighting in Eugene is encouraging as that region is part of the historical range for wolverines. They are creatures that love to roam, often covering 15+ miles a day and they’re often on the move.
True population numbers of wolverines in the lower 48 are unknown but the National Wildlife Federation estimates there are only between 25 to 300 of them. They’re normally found at high altitudes and females make their birthing dents at 7,000+ ft elevation. The elevation of Eugene, Oregon where this wolverine was spotted? 426 feet… Everything about this sighting is rare.