Comments on: Wild Wolverines in Tahoe National Forest

Wild Wolverines in Tahoe National Forest

Chinese Jet Pilot — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:06:08 -0800

Ferocious-looking mystery creature in Tahoe National Forest confirmed to be a California wolverine, thought to be extinct since 1922. A motion-detecting camera snapped a compelling photo behind the beast last month, and the California Department of Fish and Game just confirmed the discovery with a clear profile shot. Notably, both photos appear to show the same animal.

By: cortex

cortex — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:08:53 -0800

OH SNIKT

By: BobFrapples

BobFrapples — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:10:45 -0800

Heh... close the thread!

By: dammitjim

dammitjim — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:16:56 -0800

Awww. Cutie widdle wolverine!

By: moonmilk

moonmilk — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:17:54 -0800

Ha - Axel is the wolverine I thought of first. Thanks for posting this - I'd love to think that there's wolverines lurking around where I vacation now and then. Though I'm not sure I'd want to meet one in person.

By: HuronBob

HuronBob — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:18:06 -0800

We had a wolverine sighting here in lower michigan a couple of years ago... the speculation was that it had accidently been picked up in a load of canadian garbage and dumped at a local landfill. darn canadians!

By: i_am_a_Jedi

i_am_a_Jedi — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:21:16 -0800

Metafilter: trained to detect wolverine scat. Quick. Kill it! Kill it!

By: mumkin

mumkin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:21:47 -0800

I like that picture of the hair snare. Any scientific instrument that is essentially a raw chicken lashed to the end of a stick is cool by me.

By: i_am_a_Jedi

i_am_a_Jedi — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:23:53 -0800

Also, Americans should pause for a brief moment of silence while we honor this ferocious species. They, along with Patrick Swayze, saved us from certain doom after the Russians and Cubans invaded us in WWIII. WOLVERINES!

By: cashman

cashman — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:29:35 -0800

Any scientific instrument that is essentially a raw chicken lashed to the end of a stick is cool by me. They should have tried raw coelacanth. Who knows what else that would draw out of the woods.

By: crazy finger

crazy finger — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:34:56 -0800

Cameras and "hair snares," which capture animal hair, were rigged and all suspicious-looking animal deposits were scooped up. Dogs trained to detect wolverine scat were unleashed in the forest by the Center of Conservation Biology in Washington. Airplanes even flew overhead in an attempt to pick up signals from wolverines surgically fitted with radio transmitters during studies in Montana. I know it's a little bit of a stretch, but if a previously-thought-to-be-extinct animal suddenly seems to be alive, my first instinct isn't to flood its habitat with researchers, dogs, and possibly airplanes.

By: Gungho

Gungho — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:35:49 -0800

OK. So this "Ferocious" beast is the model for one of the X-Men? Puleeze. Why not just call him the "Rabid Racoon"? Seriously. If no one has seen one since 1922 are the assuming a miracle birth or did this guy migrate from another more populated area?

By: ornate insect

ornate insect — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:40:48 -0800

No one ever thought the wolverine was extinct: it's still alive and well in many places (in Canada, in Alaska, Russia, Norway, Finland, and according to the first link, Montana, Idaho and central Washington state). What was thought was that one of those places was no longer California.

By: ssg

ssg — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:42:17 -0800

I love this description of the wolverine's range: Wolverines were once fairly common throughout the northern regions of the United States, but they are now found mainly in the Northern Cascades in Washington, the Northern Rockies in Montana and Idaho, and in Alaska. Do you think they might also be found in that area between Northern Idaho and Alaska? I just can't remember what they call that place.

By: vytae

vytae — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:44:33 -0800

Any scientific instrument that is essentially a raw chicken lashed to the end of a stick is cool by me. I did an internship with the forest service one year during college. One of our "scientific instruments" was a rotten log with fish guts and cow blood poured over it, surrounded by a low ring of barbed wire. That was a "hair snare" for grizzly bears. They'd have to either squirm under or climb over the wire to get to the yummy bait (which smelled GODAWFUL), hopefully catching a few hairs in the barbed wire in the process. Another hair snare we set up was a square of carpet with nails pushed through from the back, that was smeared with catnip mixed with fish guts and then nailed to a tree. We'd hang a cheapo metal pie plate from a nearby low branch to spin in the wind, to catch the curious eye of a cat that might be too far away to smell the bait. Those were hair snares for lynx. Like housecats, they would rub the sides of their faces on the carpet bits, hopefully leaving hairs for us to collect. Every couple weeks we would visit each site to see if any hair had been caught on the barbed wire or nails, then bag it up and send it off for analysis. I think we usually caught black bears and bobcats, which were considered way less exciting than griz and lynx, at least in that neck of the woods.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:46:19 -0800

Do we really need these things around now that the Soviets are no longer a threat?

By: brneyedgrl

brneyedgrl — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:47:46 -0800

They just confirmed Mountain Lions in Kansas again...from one that was shot by a local. Too bad one had to be killed to prove that they do exist. Good Luck to that Wolverine staying alive now.

By: biffa

biffa — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:52:36 -0800

How do they know there are mountain lions beside the one they shot?

By: rtha

rtha — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:54:06 -0800

I did a happy dance when I read this. And yeah, it wasn't thought to be extinct (none left anywhere), but rather extirpated (none left locally, e.g. California). I'd like the California grizzly back next, please.

By: CitrusFreak12

CitrusFreak12 — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:00:34 -0800

Wait so is this a California Wolverine that had thought to have been extinct since 1922? Or is this a wolverine in California, a place which has apparently been devoid of wolverines since 1922?

By: munchingzombie

munchingzombie — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:13:40 -0800

"I love zi Wolverine. Only other animal who kills for pleasure" -Francesca Fiore

By: kbanas

kbanas — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:17:30 -0800

A wolverine will seriously fuck you up. Or so I heard from a guy.

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:19:01 -0800

zomgomgomg WELCOME BACK LOGAN!!! *runs to pet long lost critter, is promptly hollered at by her handlers*

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:19:34 -0800

With the discovery of this highly endangered animal, I think I speak for all of us, when I say: "How does it taste?"

By: grabbingsand

grabbingsand — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:21:00 -0800

Jesus Christ, it's a wolverine! Get in the car! ** goes to register www.lolwolverines.com ***

By: bondcliff

bondcliff — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:36:28 -0800

Tina Fey can kick the ass of even the most ferocious wolverine.

By: kowalski

kowalski — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:41:19 -0800

For those wondering, the articles do note that, from museum specimens, the previous California population is known to have been genetically distinct from other North American populations. The goal now is to get genetic material from this current wolverine (hopefully without shooting it dead) to determine whether it has the same genetic markers. Otherwise, they'll be able to conclude that it's a migrant from another wild population or an escapee from a local, captive collection. Next up, the California Sasquatch?

By: small_ruminant

small_ruminant — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:43:39 -0800

I'd like to state for the record that it's fine by me if Grizzly Bears aren't reintroduced to California even if they ARE on our flag. They really have a nasty rep.

By: Nick Verstayne

Nick Verstayne — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:47:02 -0800

A nasty Rep? Yeah, California has had a few of them, but you guys really have a nasty Governor.

By: Dizzy

Dizzy — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:47:27 -0800

Looks like Paul Giamatti.

By: Mastercheddaar

Mastercheddaar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:47:52 -0800

These wolverines actually look pretty tough... unlike their Michigan cousins. GO BUCKS! Mastercheddaar

By: kbanas

kbanas — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:53:20 -0800

These wolverines actually look pretty tough... unlike their Michigan cousins. GO BUCKS! Mastercheddaar I hope Tyrelle Pryor chokes on a pretzel.

By: brneyedgrl

brneyedgrl — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:55:12 -0800

Actually people have been reporting Mountain Lions in Kansas for many years, my husband saw one on the way home from work run across the road in front of him a couple of years ago...the opinion is that the Wildlife people didn't want to do the paperwork.

By: Tube

Tube — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:57:01 -0800

Next up, the California Sasquatch? I think we must consider the possibility that this wolverine was, in fact, Bigfoot's lost pet.

By: blucevalo

blucevalo — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:58:58 -0800

I can has yr cat (and dog, and hamster, and guinea pig, and ..... )

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:15:19 -0800

Nice to see. Fairly important little guy. Ecologically speaking. In general they're just plan fun to hear...er, from a distance.... when they're angry. Just balls out rage "gggnnendgrddnngRRRNGGNGNRR!!!!!" it's almost funny how psychotically angry they get with the least provocation... Almost. Y'd think they'd be extinct from high blood pressure and heart attacks alone.

By: djrock3k

djrock3k — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:37:47 -0800

Yes kbanas, a wolverine will seriously fuck you up. That's what it's designed to do. That being said, the Profile shot is from "Cuddle Back"??? Cuddle is not what it's designed to do, unless your devinition of cuddle includes massive trauma from a bundle of teeth and claws wrapped in a furry, pissed-off attitude.

By: djrock3k

djrock3k — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:38:30 -0800

... or definition...

By: [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST]

[NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:50:19 -0800

Did they ever find out what this thing was?

By: gofargogo

gofargogo — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:56:28 -0800

This is so awesome! The biologist I work with had heard about this, and has been on pins and needles for a while waiting for it to be confirmed! I hope it's the California variant wolverine, and not simply misplaced from somewhere else.

By: lumpenprole

lumpenprole — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:06:21 -0800

OK. So this "Ferocious" beast is the model for one of the X-Men? Puleeze. Why not just call him the "Rabid Racoon"? Well, because the wolverine is, besides the polar bear, one of the only animals to actively hunt humans. They are ridiculously strong for their size and like to hold grudges. It has been known to take down fully grown moose, and if you've ever been near one of those, you know how amazing that is. Here's a video of a wolverine facing off a bear for a fresh kill. See, the whole point of the character is that he's short and tough.

By: cortex

cortex — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:09:39 -0800

Plus, wolverines are the only mammals that are known to be kidnapped by shadow agencies and have adamantium grafted onto their skeletons as part of a secret project the memories of which will later be wiped, but imperfectly, from their fuzzy little bastard brains.

By: LeeJay

LeeJay — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:15:25 -0800

[NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] wrote: Did they ever find out what this thing was? From the article: "In the end, wildlife officials got a DNA analysis that showed the animal was a rare wolf-dog hybrid, he said."

By: LeeJay

LeeJay — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:16:50 -0800

Oops, you know what, I think they were referring to an older case there. So I guess the answer is no, they did not figure out what this thing was.

By: LarryC

LarryC — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:16:56 -0800

I love stories like this. Here in Missouri there have been numerous mountain lion sightings for the last few years and a few dead ones, hit by trains or cars. The official story is that they are escaped pets, I dunno. And of course a gray wolf was killed in western Mass recently.

By: mumkin

mumkin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:36:00 -0800

That being said, the Profile shot is from "Cuddle Back"??? djrock3k: I thought that too, on first sight, but nay. It's Cuddeback, makers of "digital scouting cameras" for monitoring wildlife exactly like this. Can't seem to reach their site at the moment, though.

By: wendell

wendell — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:01:43 -0800

Tina Fey can kick the ass of even the most ferocious wolverine. Obviously. One of the job requirements to be head writer at SNL has always been experience with wolverines.

By: Atreides

Atreides — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:48:19 -0800

I remember watching a nature show about wolverines. It was pretty much 45 minutes of rage. Wolverines are what Oscar the Grouch would be like if he got old, flipped out, and ran off into the wilds. Oh, and tied butcher knives to his fingertips.

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:04:23 -0800

Wolverine: I'm sorry Smokey, you're over the line. Bear: Yeah, but I wasn't-- Wolverine: Smokey my friend, you come near that carcass, you're entering a world of pain. Bear: Look Dude, I ... is this your kill -- Wolverine: HAS THE WHOLE WORLD GONE CRAZY? AM I THE ONLY ONE HERE WHO GIVES A SHIT ABOUT THE RULES HERE? Bear: All right! I'm backing off. You happy, you crazy fuck? I'll go get some honey or something. Wolverine: It's a league deer, Smokey

By: misha

misha — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:40:51 -0800

By: spock

spock — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:01:50 -0800

They kept trying to attack my cousins, what the heck would you do in a situation like that?

By: [insert clever name here]

[insert clever name here] — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:24:51 -0800

They are ridiculously strong for their size and like to hold grudges. It has been known to take down fully grown moose, and if you've ever been near one of those, you know how amazing that is. Here's a video of a wolverine facing off a bear for a fresh kill. Yeah, but let's be fair. Bears run from house cats too.

By: fourcheesemac

fourcheesemac — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:02:57 -0800

Awesome.

By: rtha

rtha — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:53:57 -0800

The mysterious wolverine captured in photographs from a remote camera in the Tahoe National Forest is not a native of California or Washington, U.S. Forest Service scientists revealed Wednesday. Damn.