A photographer and videographer has captured a rare sight: one particular wild animal of which there are only a few hundred left in the world.
Elias Kalliola, 35, from Helsinki, Finland, captured the incredible footage of a rare wolverine in the eastern part of his home country, near the border of Russia. Having spent 15 nights at his hideout in the wilderness, he managed to see a wolverine twice with both times being very short moments, he told Newsweek.
Kalliola posted a video to Instagram showing his encounter with the animal, documenting the fierce creature unsuspectingly exploring its natural habitat as the photographer watches on from a safe distance.
The animal, which has a mix of bright and dark brown fur, runs into the frame of the video and stops to take a look around its surroundings, allowing Kalliola to capture it with his camera for a brief moment.
His clip has been viewed over 20 million times and was shared with the text overlay, "I filmed an animal so rare that even finding its tracks is considered to be extremely lucky."
"They are critically endangered and almost impossible to see by accident," Kalliola told Newsweek. "I've seen wolverines 5 times from my hideout during last 4 years.
"It has taken me around 60 nights and days of waiting for those 5 times so probability of seeing one is not very high, not even in Eastern Finland wilderness which is a hotspot for wolverines. Every time it has been a very pleasant surprise when a wolverine has appeared."
Wolverines are found in large forested areas of the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe and North America. They are an endangered species and according to the Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe, there are around 1,200 of them left in the northern part of the continent.
Meanwhile, there are only around 300 left in the Pacific Northwest, Defenders of Wildlife reports.
Kalliola's video received quite a reaction on social media, receiving over one million likes on Instagram and thousands of comments from amazing viewers.
"Awesome. Didn't realise they were that big," said @martyngough99. Meanwhile, @hopeandlogan commented: "Like a mythical dog."
"What an amazing capture! Well done," said @tylerbee_photography.
"They are so beautiful. I know it is unlikely but I would love to see one in a while someday," said @official_lkhamilton.
@theal.ps wrote: "I always forget wolverines are real."
A number of commentors posted images of Hugh Jackman, referring to his role as the fictional superhero Wolverine in the X-Men franchise. "He's looking for Deadpool," joked @louii_xiii.
Has a dream vacation turned into a nightmare? Whether it's a missed flight or lost luggage, we want to hear about your travel disasters. Let us know via life@newsweek.com, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
English (US) ·