The wolverine’s scientific name means “glutton,” referring to the habits of this insatiable weasel. Other adjectives applied to wolverines: hyperactive, cunning, ruthless and stinky.

What They Eat
Whatever they find: mostly dead animals and medium-sized mammals such as squirrels, hares, skunks and foxes.

Where They Live
Cool northern forests and tundra across North America, Asia and Europe. They prefer snow where their large feet keep them agile while slowing their prey.

What They Do
Wolverines are remarkably strong and ferocious for their size. Although not the best hunters, they have been known to kill animals as large as a moose.

How They’re Doing
Historically found in Minnesota, wolverines were trapped to the edge of extinction in the early 1900s for their fur. If seen in Minnesota today, they are usually visiting from Canada.

For more information visit the Wolverine Foundation.

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Wolverine

Wolverine

Wolverine

Because frost doesn’t build up on the long hairs of wolverine fur, Arctic hunters preferred it for trims on the hoods of their coats.

In a recent study in Glacier National Park, an individual ascended 4,900 vertical feet in 90 minutes.

Few animals will fight the ferocious wolverine. Although they are small, adults have no real natural predators—even wolves and grizzly bears have been known to get out of their way.

Wolverines look like a cross between a weasel and a bear. Because of the strong smell of their musk and bear-like appearance, some native peoples call wolverines “skunk bears”.

Adult male wolverines have large home ranges—up to 400 square miles. Adult females use smaller areas—up to 200 square miles.

Wolverines are active day and night, all year round. Visit them at the Minnesota Zoo on the Medtronic Minnesota Trail.  

Care at the Zoo

Wolverines are powerful and active animals, which creates both challenges and opportunities for enriching their lives at the Zoo. Food frozen in blocks of ice allows the animals to work for their food. Food treats or scents are also added to paper-mâché piñatas.

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The wolverine is considered vulnerable throughout its range. The status of wolverine populations is not known, due to the elusive nature of these animals.

Things the Zoo's Done/Doing

With the help of the Wolverine Foundation, researchers are currently attempting to get an accurate count of wolverine populations in southeast Alaska. They hope to study the preferred habitats of breeding females, learn more about how wolverines move about their territories, and find out how human disturbances affect wolverine populations. The project will use a variety of techniques to gather information, including infrared cameras to capture and identify wolverines in the area.

The Minnesota Zoo's Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grant Program supported additional camera traps for this project in 2007.

In North America, wolverines are the largest and most ferocious members of the weasel family. Generally considered exceptionally strong for their size, they have powerful jaws and are capable of bringing down a deer or moose if they can catch it. Relentless in their pursuit of food, wolverines travel over large tracts of land constantly in search of their next meal.

Range and Habitat
Wolverines are found primarily in the most northern parts of North America, Europe, and Asia. They prefer large remote areas of undisturbed habitat, such as large forests, forested hills, taiga, and open tundra. In North America most wolverines are found in Canada. In the United States small populations can be found in the Rocky Mountains, Alaska, and the northern Cascades. Although present day sightings are rare, early fur trading records suggest that wolverines once roamed the northern half of Minnesota’s forests.

Habits and Adaptations
Large feet help wolverines travel easily across snow in the winter. They are excellent swimmers and climbers and studies are finding them to be more social than once thought. Males typically share their large territory (up to 400 square miles) with several females and come together only to breed. Active both day and night, wolverines are active for 3-4 hours before resting for a similar length of time.

Diet
Opportunistic hunters and scavengers, wolverines feed on carrion, eggs of ground nesting birds, wasp larvae, lemmings, and berries. During the winter they will kill any mammal in their territory, including deer, fox, hares, squirrels, and ground birds. Unlike some mustelids, wolverines do not kill more than they can eat, but sometimes bury their food or store it in tree forks.

Reproduction
Like other members of the mustelid family, female wolverines are capable of delayed implantation (up to 9 months). This means if environmental conditions do not support a successful pregnancy at the time of breeding, (e.g. food scarcity), the fertilized egg can remain in “limbo” inside of the uterus until conditions become favorable. Breeding usually occurs in summer. Thirty to 40 days after the fertilized egg implants, females give birth to 1-5 kits. The kits are nursed for 8-10 weeks.