A wolverine photographed at New York State Zoo in Watertown
A wolverine photographed at New York State Zoo in Watertown
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

Wolverine

Common Name:
Wolverine
Scientific Name:
Gulo gulo
Type:
Mammals
Diet:
Omnivore
Average Life Span In The Wild:
7 to 12 years
Size:
Head and body: 26 to 34 inches; tail: 7 to 10 inches
Weight:
24 to 40 pounds
IUCN Red List Status:
Least concern
Current Population Trend:
Decreasing

The wolverine is a powerful animal that resembles a small bear but is actually the largest member of the weasel family.

Habitat

These tough animals are solitary, and they need a lot of room to roam. Individual wolverines may travel 15 miles in a day in search of food. Because of these habitat requirements, wolverines frequent remote boreal forests, taiga, and tundra in the northern latitudes of Europe, Asia, and North America.

Diet

Wolverines eat a bit of vegetarian fare, like plants and berries, in the summer season, but this does not make up a major part of their diet—they are tenacious predators with a taste for meat. Wolverines easily dispatch smaller prey, such as rabbits and rodents, but may even attack animals many times their size, such as caribou, if the prey appears to be weak or injured. These opportunistic eaters also feed on carrion—the corpses of larger mammals, such as elk, deer, and caribou. Such finds sustain them in winter when other prey may be thinner on the ground, though they have also been known to dig into burrows and eat hibernating mammals.

Reproduction

Males scent-mark their territories, but they share them with several females and are believed to be polygamous. Females den in the snow or under similar cover to give birth to two or three young each late winter or early spring. Kits sometimes live with their mother until they reach their own reproductive age—about two years old.

Conservation

Wolverines sport heavy, attractive fur that once made them a prime trapper's target in North America. Their fur was used to line parkas, though this practice is far less common today and the animals are protected in many areas.

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at @natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.com/yourshot for the latest submissions and news about the community.
Photograph by Arsi Ikonen, National Geographic Your Shot

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