Wolverines

Wolverines are large, stocky animals that look like small bears, but they are the largest members of the weasel family. These tough animals are solitary, and like to roam long distances. Individual wolverines have been known to travel 15 miles (24 kilometers) in a single day in search of food.

Because of they require lots of open space, wolverines frequent remote boreal forests, taiga, and tundra in the northern latitudes of Europe, Asia, and North America.

In the summer months, wolverines eat many plants and berries, but this does not make up a major part of their diet—they are fierce predators with a taste for meat. Wolverines easily catch smaller prey, such as rabbits and rodents, but may even

attack large animals many times their size, such as caribou and, on occasion, lynx, if the prey appears to be weak or injured.

Their feet are wide and furred, webbed, and front feet have long, strong claws, which help them climb. They often follow wolves to scavenge the remains of their prey. Wolves sometimes attack and kill the interlopers. Wolverines also feed on carrion—the corpses of larger mammals, such as elk, deer, and caribou. During winter, these dead animals can sustain them when other prey is scarce. They have also been known to dig into burrows and eat hibernating mammals!

Males mark their territories with their scent, but they allow several female wolverines to live there. Females den in the snow to give birth to two or three young each late winter or early spring. Young wolverines, called kits, sometimes live with their mother until they are two years old.

Wolverines' thick fur is brown with two yellowish stripes on back. Trappers hunted wolverines for their fur in North America. In the past, their fur was used to line parkas, but this is less common today and the animals are protected in many areas.

Fast Facts
The scientific name for the wolverine is Gulo gulo.

Wolverines are mammals.

They are omnivores but are strong predators and eat lots of meat.

Wolverines will live 7 to 12 years in the wild.

Their head and body measure about 26 to 34 inches (66 to 86 centimeters) and their tails are usually 7 to 10 inches (18 to 25 centimeters) in length.

They can weigh from 24 to 40 pounds (11 to 18 kilograms).