Rare Wolverine Spotted In California's Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Why It's So Unusual

A rare wolverine sighting has been reported in California.

The animal was spotted three times in May in the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains, according to the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife. The first two sightings occurred in the Inyo National Forest, and the third in Yosemite National Park.

Julia Lawson, an environmental scientist with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, says heavy snow from this year's winter storms could be what lured the creature south.

“It's possible that this wolverine just saw kind of an unbroken, snowy path all the way down here from wherever it came from in the north, and chose that opportunity to make an exploratory movement,” she says.

Why it's so rare

Experts believe that approximately 300 wolverines live across the Pacific Northwest and the Northern Rocky Mountains. The last time one of the animals was seen in California was in 2008, and prior to that the most recent sighting occurred in 1922.

“It’s truly remarkable that another native apex species is attempting to make its way back to our state on its own,” said Pamela Flick, a program director at Defenders of Wildlife California, in a statement. “As we’ve learned with gray wolves naturally repopulating northern California, if the conditions are right — including adequate suitable habitat and human tolerance — they will come and can thrive.”

How it was confirmed

The wolverine was captured on camera in Yosemite.

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Courtesy Yosemite National Park

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The CDFW, along with wolverine experts from the U.S. Forest Service, analyzed images and videos of the animal to confirm its identity.

“Wolverines can travel great distances, making it likely that the recent sightings are all of the same animal,” said CDFW Senior Environmental Scientist Daniel Gammons in a statement. “Because only two wolverines have been confirmed in California during the last 100 years, these latest detections are exciting.”