Rarely seen creature that eats porcupines captured in video

Atrail camera in the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge in Maine captured video of a “secretive and elusive” fisher cat that came sniffing around in the snow.

The rarely seen creature is “a kind of weasel like a mink or river otter that inhabit boreal forests throughout the northern U.S. and Canada,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stated in an Instagram post showing the video. “These skilled hunters favor porcupines and snowshoe hares, but would also feed on insects, nuts, berries and mushrooms.”

In fact, the fisher cat is known to be the most successful predator of porcupines, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

A post shared by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (@usfws)

“I’ve lived in Maine for 30 years but have never seen one,” one commenter wrote on Instagram. “We hear/see evidence of them and know to keep cats in at night.”

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Said another, “They are very scary and lethal hunters of pets.”

“Agreed,” concurred another commenter. “I accidentally startled one in the evening going to my car in northern Vermont and the guttural growling warning sent me high-tailing it back inside.”


© Provided by For The WinRarely seen creature that eats porcupines captured in video
The Herald Sun reported that wildlife officials in Maine track the fisher population trends by using trail cameras and snow tracking.

“Fisher tend to be more nocturnal and active during dawn or dusk in the summer and may be more active during the day during the winter months,” the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife stated. “They tend to be shy and elusive animals and are rarely seen.”

Or as the USFWS put it, “Fishers are usually secretive and elusive, making this trail camera footage from Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge in Maine pretty spectacular!”

Photo courtesy of the USFWS.