Metropark captures rare predator last seen in Ohio County in 1800s

A rarely-seen predator has been captured by a trail camera in a Cleveland Metropark.

According to a post from Cleveland Metroparks on Dec. 15, a fisher cat was identified in a Cuyahoga County Metropark for the first time since the species originally disappeared from the area in the “mid-1800s.”

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The animal, which is a member of the weasel family, can reach a maximum weight of 13 pounds, and is one of the few animals in the world to prey on porcupines. Is resembles others in the weasel family with short legs and a bushy tail, and is often mistaken for martens or minks. The primarily nocturnal animal has been spotted across the state multiple times in the last decade, likely due to reintegration programs in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Cleveland Metroparks said the sighting was “tremendously exciting,” as it represents (along with otters, bobcats and trumpeter swans) a native Ohio species making a return to its originL habitat.

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