An early visitor! A coyote became the first large mammal spotted using the world’s largest wildlife crossing in California, more than a month before its official opening. The crossing, set to open Dec. 2, will help wildlife safely cross the busy 10-lane U.S. 101 freeway. The National Park Service shared a black-and-white image of the animal using the crossing on October 28, 2026. Officials added that a western fence lizard was technically the first animal on the crossing, and butterflies and birds have been using the habitat. Camera monitoring is one method scientists will use to evaluate the effectiveness of the crossing, a 210-foot-long vegetated bridge in Agoura Hills that will span 10 lanes of the U.S. 101 freeway. The overpass will help animals such as mountain lions, bobcats, foxes and coyotes safely cross a highway that carries more than 300,000 vehicles a day. The NPS added that in early November, biologists will install additional remote wildlife cameras at the crossing to ...