Diet Wolverines are known for scavenging dead animals like caribou or moose but are also very capable of killing their own meal, including ground squirrels and snowshoe hares. Population Fewer than 500 wolverines remain in the lower 48 states, according to the latest estimate by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, possibly far fewer. Only 32 wolverines in the U.S. appear to be successfully breeding and getting their genes into the genepool according to analyses by theU.S. Forest Service.

Did You Know? Wolverine fur is thick, oily, and hydrophobic, which means it's resistant to frost, water and snow. To blend in with their snowy environment, wolverine kits (young) are white when they areborn.

Basically solitary, the wolverine requires a lot of space to roam, and have been known to journey24 kilometers, or 15 miles, a day looking for food. As a matter of fact, some animals have been tracked over the snow for 60-80 kilometers. They pursue caribou herds when they migrate, feeding off the carcasses that bears and wolves leave behind, using their strong jaws to crush the bones. Becauseof their requirement for large ranges of habitat, wolverines canbe found in the remote regions of the tundra, taiga, and boreal forests in the northern parts of North America, Asia, and Europe. In fact, they have a penchant for areas that are uninhabited by humans. Similar to other weasels, the wolverine by nature is curious, daring, and tough. It is an omnivorous animal, feeding on awide variety of food. In the summer, it will eat berries, edible roots, and various plants, although that is only a small partof its diet. Being tenacious predators, they will travel great distances to get its main food, meat. While smaller sized prey, like rodents and rabbits, is easy fare for the wolverine, if given the opportunity it will set upon animals that are much larger in size, like deer and caribou, if they are injured or weak. And as has been mentioned above, they are also opportunistic feeders that eat animals which have been killed by other predatory animals, like caribou, deer, and elk. In fact, eating carrion helps them to survive the winter, when food can be scarce. They even dig into the snow to find and eat hibernating animals. The wolverine is basically a terrestrial animal, however they are very good at climbing trees and are also powerful swimmers.They have great stamina and use a fast lope to travel great distances without breaking for rest. Although mainly nocturnal animals, if the wolverine finds itself in regions of extended darkness or daylight, it will change to a pattern of being awake for 4 hours and sleeping for 4 hours. Like the bear, the wolverine has poor eyesight, although its hearing and sense ofsmell are very good. Male wolverines use their scent glands to mark out their territory, sometimes even marking their caches of food. They are thought to be polygamous and hence share their territory with a number of females. Although wolverines aresolitary animals, members of thefamily do play with each other. Female wolverines dig underground in order to give birth to their young, which usually are 2 to 3 at a time, either in early spring or late winter. Sometimes the young will live with their mother until they are two years of age, when they mature enough to reproduce themselves. In the past, wolverines were hunted by trappers in North America for their beautiful coat, which was used as a lining for parkas. However, this is not as common these days, with the wolverine being given protectivestatus in several regions.

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