Sometimes you have to sing for your supper. Or in this case, snort and growl.
A remote camera in Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve captured a wolverine and wolf clashing over rights to a moose carcass.
The “wolf vs. wolverine showdown” actually happened in February, but the National Park Service only released the footage of the “remarkable encounter” recorded at a wolf kill site this month.
The series of three videos are edited together.
First, viewers see a wolverine dining on the dead moose.
Then a female wolf, appears and attacks.
You can even hear the wolverine growling and huffing.
But the wolf appears to win the battle, and tucks in solo for the feast.
“If you look at the timestamp, just over a minute is missing between the second and third clips,” the park service explained. “Based on the video we do have, it appears the wolverine left the area right after the showdown.”
And this was all captured in the spirit of research.
“Park wildlife biologists use motion-triggered cameras, in tandem with radio collars, flight surveys, and field observation, to better understand the activities of Denali’s wolves.” NPS says. “The wolf in this video is the breeding female of the Riley Creek pack and is easily identified by the radio-collar around her neck.”
