The federal government said on Oct 8th 2020 aka. Thursday that it had decided against protecting wolverines, the elusive mammal that inspired a superhero and countless sports teams around America.

Despite fears that climate change threatens the animals’ habitat in the lower 48 states, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday that wolverine populations there were stable and that its own earlier concerns about the effects of global warming on the species had been overstated.

“We expect there to be enough snow where they need it, at the time of year they need it,” said Justin Shoemaker, a biologist with the agency. Wolverines are thought to depend heavily on snow, in large part because females normally give birth in dens they dig in snowbanks.

A coalition of environmentalists responded by vowing to sue again.

“With this decision, the Fish and Wildlife Service has abandoned its moral and legal obligation to protect these animals,” said Jonathan Proctor of Defenders of Wildlife, a group that advocates for imperiled species. “But we will not abandon our efforts.”