An enigmatic and elusive carnivore recently showed up in Yosemite!
June 9, 2023 – Yosemite National Park officials report that on May 24, 2023, Park Ranger Tim Knauss was fortunate to catch sight of a wolverine (Gulo gulo) in the backcountry of Yosemite National Park. This sighting is the latest in a string of observations in the Sierra Nevada, and researchers believe these to be of the same individual. Amazingly, this rare glimpse of a wolverine is only the second confirmed detection of this species in California in more than 100 years!
Formerly a California native, the wolverine is thought to have become locally extinct in 1922. While there have been a handful of unvalidated reports of wolverines in California after this date, it wasn’t until 2008 that a wolverine definitively turned up on a camera station just north of the Lake Tahoe area. Collection of DNA from the 2008 individual’s scat revealed a genetic signature that closely matched the Rocky Mountain population. This event supports the concept that gene flow between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains could be bridged as these adventurous travelers move long distances during big snow years.
These wild carnivores are sometimes described as phantoms due to their elusive behavior and mysterious traits. Belonging to the weasel family, wolverines are closely related to martens and fishers in North America, and to their Central and South American counterpart, the tayra. Wolverines have an incredible sense of smell and can detect carcasses twenty feet under the snow. As opportunistic feeders, they tend to scavenge dead animals killed by other predators such as wolves or bears. After they cache their food, they will mark the spot by lifting their tail and emitting an offensive odor (hence the nickname “skunk bear”). However, wolverines are also excellent hunters, capable of bringing down large prey in deep snow and excavating ground squirrels and other small mammals with their exceptionally long claws.
Currently, much is unknown about this new visitor to the Sierra Nevada. Efforts are underway to collect biological samples that will reveal the animal’s sex and origin. Most likely this wolverine is a dispersed male that may have travelled hundreds of miles from its native range. Without a female companion to start a small population in a new area, genetic diversity will remain low unless more wolverines establish territories and inhabit this mountain range.
Just a glimpse of this lone traveler is exciting, as any evidence of their occupancy, such as tracks, is widely sought after but seldom found. The record snowpack in the region this past winter may have allowed this wolverine to move farther south than otherwise possible. “Seeing the wolverine reminded me that Yosemite is a wild place and how many other incredible, wild and capable beings we share this place with,” Tim Knauss reflected on his lucky experience. Whether this animal stays in the Sierra Nevada or roams back north and east, it’s an encouraging sight to see the intrepid wolverine return to its home in the Sierra Nevada.
Photo of wolverines in Mount Rainier National Park. NPS Photo.
Photo of the wolverine seen in Yosemite National Park recently. NPS Photo by Jeff Webb.
Source & photos: Yosemite National Park
