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Biofacts
Weight 6-18 kg. (up to 40 lbs.)
body length: 65-105 cm (26-41 inches excluding tail)
total head-tail length: 170-260 mm
shoulder height: 355-432 mm. (males are larger than the females)
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Background
The largest land-dwelling member of the mustelidae (weasel) family. The wolverine's body is heavy-set and the fur is long and dense and dark brown in color. Many
wolverines sport two yellowish stripes, one along each side of the body, which continues to the base of the tail.
Some also have a white spot at the chest and white on the feet is not uncommon. The rounded head
and short, bushy tail of the wolverine are carried low, with the back forming a high arch.
The legs are short, with five toes on each foot. The wolverine walks flat-footed (plantigrade) like a bear.
Habits and Habitat
The wolverine is native to the nothern regions of North America, Europe and Asia. The subspecies,
Gulo gulo luscus, was once found across North America, inhabinting boreal forests from
the West Coast to the East Coast and from northern Canada southward to California, Arizona and New Mexico.
Today it is limited to Canada and Alaska, and a few mountainous regions of Washington,
Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana.
The wolverine has a keen sense of smell with which to find prey or carrion. Powerful long,
curved claws help the wolverine dig, tear, climb and grasp. Strong jaws allow the animal to
easily break bones.
Wolverines mate between April and August but implantation is delayed until around November. The female digs
multiple dens in preparation of the upcoming birth. Most birth dens are built about the timberline in deep snow.
Birth occurs from January through April, but usually before late March. Litter size averages
2-3 kits. The young are born fully furred, eyes closed and no teeth. Their fur is completely
white at birth. The kits weigh an average of 84 grams, and body length of 121 mm when born.
Females move the young through a series of dens until weaning. The young are weaned at
9-10 weeks and travel with their mothers by late May. Adult size is reached by early winter
and the young may stay with siblings, the female and the resident male until they reach sexual
maturity (around 15 months for females, 2 years for males). The life span in the wild is
about 13 years, in captivity up to 18 years.
Status
Threatened. Classified as a "Species of Concern" by the USFWS and many western states, and as
a "Sensitive Species" by the USBLM and USFS.
Special Notes
Data from Idaho indicates that the male may participate in the rearing of the young. The
primary associate for the young from birth to about 8 months of age was the female, but
from 8 months to about 14 months of age, juveniles associated primarily with the resident male.
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