Kamchatka demons “catch” fish under the ice
A camera trap installed on the shore of the Ozernaya River flowing from the Kuril Lake “caught” a wolverine, the Kronotsky Nature Reserve told Kamchatka.Today.
“The beast came hoping to prey on dead salmon, which can still be found in the water under the shore after late spawning,” explained Evgeny Denges, senior state inspector of the environmental protection agency.
The Kamchatka demon or the northern hyena, as the wolverine is also called, is a cunning and dangerous beast. In a sense, this largest terrestrial representative of the marten family is a tundra nurse.
Unlike a lynx, it eats dead animals without any squeamishness. Due to its incredible endurance, it can chase a wounded or weakened victim through the snow for a long time, as well as accompany a pack of wolves to finish the remains of their meal.
The reserve recalled that the largest sockeye salmon herd in Asia is reproducing in Kuril Lake. The spawning period of these salmon is extremely long here – from June-July to March. They can spawn even under the ice.
Spawned fish are easy prey for bears, which in this area do not rush to their dens while there is food, and other fish–eating animals.
By the way, in November, in the village of Razdolny, Yelizovsky district, hunters caught and released a wolverine, which the dogs drove up a tree.
Photo: Kronotsky Nature Reserve.