📷 Jeffrey C. Lewis · Public domain
📷 Jeangagnon
📷 Zefram
IUCN: Vulnerable
Wolverine
Gulo gulo
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassMammalia›OrderCarnivora›FamilyMustelidae›GenusGulo
About
The wolverine is the largest land-dwelling member of the weasel family, a tireless traveller with a reputation for stealing kills from wolves and even bears. Its broad paws act like snowshoes, and females den in deep snowpack that a warming climate threatens. Populations are naturally sparse, and trapping, habitat fragmentation, and shrinking snow make it vulnerable across much of its range.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Boreal forest, tundra, and alpine zones across the northern hemisphere
🍃Diet Carnivore — carrion, small mammals, porcupines, and winter-killed ungulates
📏Size & Weight Body 65–87 cm; tail 17–26 cm
•weight 8–19 kg
⏳Lifespan 7–12 years wild
🗺Range Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, Russia, and Mongolia; scarce in the lower 48 US states
MammalMustelid
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Boreal forest, tundra, and alpine zones across the northern hemisphere
🍃Diet Carnivore — carrion, small mammals, porcupines, and winter-killed ungulates
📏Size & Weight Body 65–87 cm; tail 17–26 cm
•weight 8–19 kg
⏳Lifespan 7–12 years wild
🗺Range Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, Russia, and Mongolia; scarce in the lower 48 US states
Photo Credits
#1Jeffrey C. Lewis · Public domain
#2Jeangagnon · Public domain
#3Zefram · CC BY 2.5
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