What Animal Are Minnesotans Most Fascinated With On Google?

Google is a fantastic tool for a lot of things, whether you need to know where a business is located or helping your 2nd grader with homework. But what animal is the most 'Googled' by Minnesotans? Is it local snakes, carnivorous mammals or venomous spiders? No, No, and No. It's actually a rival state college's mascot. Before we reveal the most 'Googled' animal in Minnesota, this is how I figured it out. According to new data from Google, it shows the top image searches for bugs and wild animals, state by state in the U.S.

In some states, people searched for images of animals that were native to that region: Orcas were at the top of the list in Washington, and Washington's Puget Sound is home to a group of orcas known as the Southern Resident Killer Whale population, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Wolves were popular in several states, turning up as the most-searched animal in Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Louisiana.

The fisher cat, a small carnivorous mammal in the same family as martens, weasels, and wolverines, was another popular selection, topping image searches in six states.

But perhaps the most puzzling results are from Oklahoma, where the top search was for meerkats. These endearing, burrowing mammals are not found anywhere in North America and are native only to deserts in Botswana, Namibia, southwestern Angola, and South Africa.

Google released its findings to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the National Trail System, according to a statement. The passage of the National Trail System Act in 1968 launched a federal initiative to promote, preserve and maintain trails in urban and rural settings, to provide people with opportunities for outdoor recreation and to encourage people to interact with the natural world, according to the National Park Service.

So now the moment of truth, the most 'Googled' animal in Minnesota was...the wolverine.