Wolverine photographed at Yellowstone National Park in rare sighting, tour company says

From a distance, it looked like a bear. But when the tour guide zoomed in with his camera, he snapped a photo of something much more rare.

That's according to a Facebook post from Yellowstone Insight, a private tour company. The encounter happened as a tour group was driving down a snowy road in early March and they noticed a dark creature moving away from them. 

"For a hot second, we both thought that it might be a young black bear moving away from us, but as it turned and looked over its right shoulder towards us - there was no mistaking that the animal was indeed, a Wolverine!" MacNeil Lyons, owner of Yellowstone Insight, wrote. 

They were able to watch the wolverine for three minutes until another car caused the animal to move to higher ground. 

Lyons told NBC News they were in the northern parts of the park when they saw the "unicorn." It was the first time in his 20 years of working at the park that he saw the animal. 

What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day

Is it safe?:Heidi Montag is eating raw bison, animal organs.

According to Yellowstone's official numbers, there were seven wolverines documented inside the park from 2006 to 2009.

The animals resemble small bears and are the largest members of the weasel family, according to National Geographic. They can weigh up to 40 pounds and live in cold, dry, high elevation areas where there is a lot of room to roam.

The wolverine population severely decreased in the 1930's when trappers prized their frost-resistant pelts. Although trapping the animal is outlawed across many places in North America now, they still get caught in traps for other animals. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service suggested listing wolverines as a threatened species in 2013, but reversed their stance in 2014 after claiming the data they collected was inconclusive.

Wolverines are currently not protected under the Endangered Species Act list, but their population is decreasing, according to The National Wildlife Conservation. 

Contributing: Josh Hafner

Follow reporter Asha Gilbert @Coastalasha. Email: agilbert@usatoday.com.