Setting up a camera in the forest, hunters were startled to find a creature that had been extinct for more than 100 years.

The young hunter was stunned to see a creature thought to be extinct appear in a camera trap.

Eli Schaefer, 24, has been a regular hunter in the Keweenaw Peninsula Forest, Upper Peninsula, Michigan, USA for many years. Eli has often encountered large wild animals hunting deer. However, in December 2023, an unexpected incident occurred that left Eli and local scientists extremely shocked.

Eli's camera trap accidentally spotted a mountain lion chasing a white-tailed deer. (Photo: Mlive).

Eli was setting up a camera trap to film animals in the forest when he accidentally spotted a mountain lion chasing a white-tailed deer. The video shows the lion pouncing on the deer and latching onto its spine. It only took a few seconds for the big cat to completely immobilize its prey. Then, in a second video Eli posted to Facebook on January 7, people saw the mountain lion dragging its prey away before exiting the frame. It is worth noting that mountain lions have been confirmed extinct in this area by scientists in Michigan since the 1900s, that is, more than 100 years ago.

Eli said that in 2021, he saw large bloody drag marks and cat paw prints in the snow the size of an adult hand. Eli followed the tracks for about 2 miles and eventually concluded that they were the work of a bobcat. But now, after the mountain lion sighting, Eli is convinced that the 2021 tracks were made by a bobcat.

Mountain lions have been confirmed locally extinct by scientists in Michigan since the 1900s, more than 100 years ago .

"This is the first time I've seen this species, which was confirmed extinct. It's a rare opportunity to see something like this. Hopefully, this discovery will help with the conservation and future development of mountain lions," Brian Roell, a wildlife biologist with MDNR, told MLive.com.

Michigan wildlife officials believe mountain lion sightings like Eli's are the result of lone male cats dispersing from long-established breeding populations in the West.

The mountain lion (scientific name: Puma concolor) is a large cat, only smaller than the jaguar. They have a long, muscular body and are covered in beige fur. The belly and chest are grayish-white. Their weight can reach 64-141 kg for females and 115-220 kg for males.

Mountain lions once lived throughout the Americas, from Canada's Yukon to the Strait of Magellan, and had the widest range of any land mammal on the American continent. They have adapted to a wide range of habitats, from mountains to forests, from deserts to swamps.

Mountain lions were once hunted because of the threat they posed to livestock, and were nearly exterminated in the eastern United States. However, conservation efforts have stabilized the mountain lion population in the western United States, although it remains much lower than it once was.

The discovery of mountain lions is not only good news for scientists, but also a strong message about the importance of preserving biodiversity in Michigan in particular and the United States in general.