California Wolverine Caught On Camera

California wolverine photographed in the Sierra

A California wolverine was spotted in the Sierra by a hiker who took a picture of the rare protected species.

David Messa reportedly saw the wolverine while camping near Lake Spaulding in May.

"He was like a bull in a china shop running across that lake. He just probably feared nothing,” Messa told Fox40. "He was kind of galloping; actually fell through the snow two or three times, turned around and came back, and came across in front of me. I was actually able to get a photo."

Messa's wolverine sighting marks only the fourth time the creature was photographed in California. Tina Mark, a Tahoe National Forest biologist, said it was "miracle."

"The fact that one showed up in our backyard, not too far from human habitation to me is a miracle.  It's like finding a needle in a haystack," Mark told Fox40.

Wolverines have not been scientifically confirmed in California since the 1920s. In 1998, a photo taken by a motion-sensitive camera on the Tahoe National Forest, the third documented sighting in Ca, provided a verifiable evidence of a wolverine in California.

The wolverine is the largest terrestrial member of the weasel family. Adult males weigh 26 to 40 pounds, while females are 17 to 26 pounds. It resembles a small bear, with a bushy tail and broad head. The wolverine's diet includes carrion, small mammals, birds, insects, berries, and fungi.

U.S. populations are found largely in the Northern Cascades in Washington, the Northern Rockies in Montana and Idaho, and in Alaska. Wolverines have large home ranges that vary greatly depending upon gender, age and food availability.