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Wolverine

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Mammals

                    iWolverine

                             Conservation status

   Vulnerable (VU)
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Mammalia
   Order:   Carnivora
   Family:  Mustelidae
   Genus:   Gulo
            Pallas, 1780
   Species: G. gulo

                                Binomial name

   Gulo gulo
   (Linnaeus, 1758)

   The wolverine (Gulo luscus) is the second largest (after the South
   American giant otter) species of the Mustelidae or weasel family, and
   is also called the glutton or carcajou. It is the only species
   currently classified in the genus Gulo. Two subspecies are recognised
   by some authors: the Old World form Gulo gulo gulo and the New World
   form G. g. luscus.

   The wolverine has been recognized as endangered since 2003. It has been
   hunted because of the fine quality of its pelt.

Anatomy

   The wolverine is a stocky and muscular omnivorous—primarily
   carnivorous—animal. It has glossy brown hair with stripes of yellow
   along the sides. The fur is long and dense and does not retain much
   water. This makes it very resistant to frost in the cold environment
   where wolverines live. The wolverine can weigh up to 25 kilograms (55
   lb, male), and is 110 centimeters (43 in) long with a 20 cm (8 in)
   tail. It resembles a small bear with a long tail. It has been known to
   give off a very strong, extremely unpleasant odour, giving rise to the
   use of the term "skunk bear" and "nasty cat" to describe the animal.
   This is the second largest animal in the Mustelidae family following
   the Giant River Otter.

Behaviour

   The wolverine is extremely strong for its size and has been known to
   kill animals as large as moose. Its preference for reindeer has caused
   it to be hunted significantly in areas depending economically on
   caribou herds, and its status is sometimes in danger in such regions.
   It is generally not aggressive toward humans, preferring to avoid human
   contact. However, because a wolverine will attack an animal caught in a
   trap, early trappers often tried to kill them. They have been filmed
   capturing kills from other predators, such as polar bears or a wolf
   pack. Wolverines are the most ferocious of the Mustelidae family.

   Wolverines mate in the summertime, but implantation in the uterus is
   delayed until early winter, which delays the development of the fetus.
   Females will often not produce young if food is scarce. The young,
   usually three or four, are born in the spring. The young kits develop
   rapidly, becoming adult size within the first year of up to thirteen
   years of life.

Range

   The wolverine primarily lives in arctic regions such as Alaska,
   northern Canada, Siberia and Scandinavia; wolverines also live in
   Russia and in the Baltic countries.

   Before the wide-spread European settlement of North America, however,
   the wolverine was found as far south as the Sierra Nevada in
   California; a few remain in the Rocky Mountains of the United States.
   The world's present wolverine population is unknown; it appears to have
   a very low population density throughout its domestic range.
   Wolverines, especially the males, require great home ranges. The
   wolverine is still trapped for its fur in some parts of its range.

Trivia

   The Norwegian municipality of Bardu has a wolverine in its
   coat-of-arms.

   The University of Michigan uses the wolverine as their mascot.

   In the Redwall novel Rakkety tam, Gulo the Savage was a wolverine with
   a horde of ermines, white foxes, and albino rats.

   In the 1984 film Red Dawn, a group of high school students fighting a
   Soviet invasion of the United States name their group "Wolverines,"
   after their High School's mascot.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolverine"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
