Wolverine

Overview

The wolverine is the largest land-dwelling member of the weasel family, a solitary and famously tenacious predator and scavenger of far northern forests and tundra. Despite its bear-like appearance, it is much smaller than its reputation suggests, roughly the size of a medium dog, but is capable of driving much larger animals like wolves away from a carcass.

Appearance

It has a stocky, muscular body covered in thick, oily dark brown fur with lighter tan stripes running along its sides, short legs, and large paws with curved claws suited to digging through snow and climbing. Its fur is notably frost-resistant, which made it historically valued for lining cold-weather clothing hoods.

Habitat & Distribution

The wolverine is found in forest, arctic, mountain habitats.

Diet & Behavior

Diet: Carnivore — Meat-eating animals that hunt, scavenge, or fish for prey, ranging from big cats to snakes and birds of prey.

Wolverines are solitary animals that roam enormous home ranges in search of food, using an extremely powerful sense of smell to locate carrion buried under deep snow. They are known for remarkable strength and tenacity relative to their size, capable of taking down prey as large as caribou when weakened by deep snow, and famously willing to defend a kill even against much larger predators.

Interesting Facts

• 1

  Despite its bear-like look, the wolverine is actually the largest land-dwelling member of the weasel family.

• 2

  A single wolverine can roam a home range covering hundreds of square kilometers in search of food.

• 3

  Its fur resists frost, which historically made it valued for lining the hoods of cold-weather clothing.

• 4

  Wolverines have been known to drive wolves and even bears away from a carcass despite being much smaller.

• 5

  They can smell carrion buried under several meters of snow, letting them find food other predators can't detect.

Gallery

Wolverine FAQs