Born Hostile: The Secret Life of The Wolverine

The Weasel Family's Largest Member , Gulo gulo

Jan 6, 2009 Chris McLaughlin

These tenacious animals have no problem taking on predators twice their size, and winning.

The Wolverine’s reputation precedes him. He represents a popular boot company which uses the phrase, “relentless by nature”, to describe their line of tough-wearing boots. This ferocious mammal also has a major role in the comic book series, X-Men, as a powerful man-animal that’s all claws and aggression. The real wolverine doesn’t disappoint, he’s all that and more.

Wolverines are one of the most secretive animals, making them one of the least understood mammals on earth. The life of the wolverine is a secretive one. Forests or high tundra throughout Northern Europe, Asia, and North America is where to watch for Gulo gulo. The wolverine uses burrows made by other animals, or build beds consisting of grass and leaves. They may make their home in a fallen tree, caves, rock crevices, and sometimes nesting under the snow.

Wolverine (Gulo gulo) Stats

Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Genus: Gulo
Species: gulo
Also Known As: Skunk Bear, Indian Devil, Carcajou
Diet: Primarily carnivorous (meat eaters), however, will eat berries and other vegetation.
Natural Enemies: Mountain Lion (Cougar), Wolf, Bear
Lifespan: 8-10 years in the wild, 17 years in captivity.
Color: Blackish-brown with light brown bands running down their sides.
Length and Weight: 2-3 feet long, 15-30 lbs. Females weigh about 30% less than males.
Reproduction: Their breeding season is June-August and kits are born Feb-March. Wolverines are monstrous, that is to say, they have only one heat cycle each year.
Kits: Weigh in at 3 ½ - 6 ounces at birth, eyes closed and covered in white fur. They nurse for 8-10 weeks, and usually leave their mothers anywhere from the following fall to two years.

They amble along with a loping gate and with their blackish-brown fur, closely resemble a small bear or a large-boned marten. Some liken them to the Tasmanian devil, although there is no relation. The Tasmanian devil is a marsupial belonging to the dasyuridae family. Wolverines, the largest member of the weasel family, live most of their lives on land, but are excellent swimmers and climbers.

Wolverines don't hibernate and are active all year round. The harsh conditions of the tundra don’t seem to bother them, and snow is no problem. Great, padded feet and long claws act as snow shoes to help them hunt prey. They're rather nocturnal; however, they are also active in the daylight hours.

A Fierce Adversary

The wolverine's surprising strength, resourcefulness and tenacity commands serious respect from nearly every animal that crosses its path. Individuals claim about 200 square miles of territory. These extremely territorial carnivores are solitary animals and don’t tolerate other same-sex wolverines in their neighborhood. The opposite sex is acceptable only during breeding season.

Often referred to as cunning, silent and deadly, wolverines will prey on animals five times larger than themselves, and have no problem driving a larger predator (cougar and bear) away from their kill and taking it for himself. Humans have known wolverines to find and destroy animal traps or bury them deep in the snow.

Interesting Facts

Wolverines spray their food with secretions from anal scent glands to discourage food thieves.
Wolverines can grunt and growl, but are surprisingly nonvocal animals.
Although, as adults they live in seclusion, the kits do play with one another and their mother while with her.
They have a very developed sense of smell, as well as strong hearing, but poor vision.
Given their rather small size (15-30 lbs.), wolverines are admirably strong, and can lift the weight of an average man.
Wolverines can gallop for long stretches at a time – up to 15 miles a day in search of food.

The wolverine is an important part of the eco system as predators and scavengers at the top of the food chain. Due to fur trapping and hunting by those who consider them a nuisance, the wolverine’s numbers have declined in Scandinavia, and nearly been eliminated in the United States. Today, wolverines are not listed in the United States as an endangered species, but listed instead, as a “sensitive” species by the USDA Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

For more information on the wolverine, check out The Wolverine Foundation.

The copyright of the article Born Hostile: The Secret Life of The Wolverine in Mammals is owned by Chris McLaughlin. Permission to republish Born Hostile: The Secret Life of The Wolverine in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.