About wolverine - a mad zoologist. Wolverine is not a pet. A tame wolverine is a beast.

Wolverine, wolverine (lat. Gulo gulo) - carnivorous mammal of the mustelid family, the only representative of the genus Gulo (translated from Latin as “glutton”). When you see her, she may seem like a little bear to you, but in reality, a wolverine looks more like a weasel on steroids. This one is stocky little beast a find for legends. Along with its insatiable appetite, it has a reputation for being an animal of unrivaled ferocity and apparently fears nothing. No other animal can match the wolverine's strength or attitude.

Appearance

A large representative of the mustelidae subfamily. In size, it is second only to the sea otter in the mustelid family. Weight varies from 9 to 30 kg, females are approximately 10% smaller in size and 30% less in weight. Length 70-86 cm, tail length 18-23 cm. Externally, the wolverine more closely resembles a bear or a badger - its body is squat, clumsy; The legs are short, the hind legs are longer than the front ones, which is why the wolverine’s back is arched upward. The head is large, the muzzle is elongated and has a blunt shape. The tail is short and very fluffy. The feet are disproportionately large - 10 cm wide and 9 cm long, which allows the wolverine to easily move through deep, loose snow. The claws are large and hooked. Wolverine is plantigrade, like a bear, that is, when moving, it places its paw on the entire foot, which is what causes the characteristic clubfoot when the animal moves.

They have shaggy fur and a strong bone structure can be seen underneath it. Outwardly, she seems clumsy, and, like a bear, she has a flexible, strong body, she has an instant reaction.

Adult females weigh up to 14 kilograms, and males are 3 kilograms heavier than females; rarely does any individual reach 20 kilograms.

She has anal glands, which have an unpleasant and strong odor. A wolf can only kill a wolverine once due to his inexperience, but then he will not come close to her. Even a lynx will not approach her. Such a “weapon” gives the wolverine courage and protects it from other predators, so that it can come up and brazenly take the prey from the lynx, and the latter, probably very fastidious and clean, cannot stand more than a minute with the wolverine. The wolverine has a lot of strength, and his teeth are strong, but his main weapon is an unpleasant smell.

The teeth are powerful and have sharp edges. She has good hearing, excellent eyesight, she is smart, cunning and careful.

The wolverine's hair is thick, long, and coarse. Wolverine fur is brown or brown-black with a yellow or golden stripe running from the top of the head down the shoulders and rump. Wolverine fur is valued among the indigenous peoples of the North. It has an amazing property - during severe frosts, frost does not form on it. Therefore, members of polar expeditions tried to trim their hoods with the fur of this animal.

There are two subspecies of the animal - North American and European.

Spreading

The wolverine is common in the taiga, forest-tundra and partly in the tundra of Eurasia and North America.

In Europe, it is preserved in the north of the Scandinavian Peninsula, in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, and partly in Poland and Belarus.

In Russia, the southern border of its range passes through the Tver, Kirov, Leningrad and Vologda regions and Perm region; Wolverine is widespread in Siberia and Far East. Also common on the Kola Peninsula in Murmansk region, Karelia, Pskov and Novgorod regions, the Komi Republic, Kamchatka.

She is not afraid of snowy winters and severe frosts; she mainly sticks to those places where there are a lot of wild animals.

Lifestyle

The wolverine spends most of its life alone, actively defending the boundaries of its territory from individuals of its own sex. The wolverine makes its lair under uprooted roots, in rock crevices and other secluded places; comes out to feed at dusk. Unlike most mustelids, leading sedentary image life, the wolverine constantly wanders in search of prey in its “individual area”, which occupies up to 1500-2000 km². Thanks to its powerful paws and long claws, the wolverine easily climbs trees. Has keen vision, hearing and sense of smell. Makes sounds similar to the yelping of a fox.

Wolverine is omnivorous. Often eats the remains of prey from wolves and bears. Wolverine in large quantities catches white hare, as well as black grouse, hazel grouse, and mouse-like rodents. Less often hunts large ungulates (can attack deer, roe deer, musk deer, elk, mountain sheep). Its victims are usually young calves, wounded, weakened or sick animals. It chases its prey at a run; despite its low running speed, it is very resilient and starves its prey to death. As observations by zoologists have shown, one wolverine ran 70 kilometers without stopping, another wolverine covered 250 kilometers in 3 weeks, and the third walked 85 kilometers in one day.

Can recapture prey from other predators (wolves, lynxes). It often ruins the winter quarters of hunters and steals prey from traps. There have been cases when large wolverines attacked wolves.

In summer it eats bird eggs, wasp larvae, berries and honey. Catches fish - near an opening or during spawning; willingly picks up dead fish. Hunts birds, grabbing them on the ground when they are sleeping or sitting on nests. He is a nurse, destroying weak and sick animals. The wolverine climbs trees no worse than it moves on the ground. A wolverine can kill prey that is 5 times its size, however, provided there is sufficiently deep snow cover, where large animals get stuck. Can attack a person if cornered. Wolverine is a rather vicious animal, so even a bear, when meeting a wolverine, tries to avoid it.

According to hunter-reindeer herder F.P. Galkin, in the Lovozero tundra of the Kola Peninsula, in the winter-spring period, herds of domestic reindeer are constantly accompanied by 1-3 wolverines. Long-term migrations of ungulates over long distances (400-800 km) often cause natural mortality of deer, the remains of which or the afterbirth of calving animals these predators feed on.

She, unlike other predators, regularly bypasses the traps placed on the path, collects, takes away, eats and spoils the animals or bait caught in them, climbs into huts and storage sheds, where she destroys food and dog food stored for the entire season.

Reproduction

Pairing occurs only during the breeding season from May to August. The female bears offspring once every two years. The male and female stay together for only a few weeks. A fertilized egg, however, does not begin to divide immediately. Normal embryonic development begins only after 7-8 months, and after about 30-40 days of effective pregnancy, most often in February or March, the female gives birth to two to four cubs in sheltered places. After 4 weeks they open their eyes and feed on their mother's milk for 10 weeks. Then the mother gives them semi-digested food. After 3 months, the cubs become adults, but remain with their mother for another 2 years.

During the period when the wolverine is going to give birth, the wolverine arranges housing, in which she will spend several months. The birth of cubs takes place in this shelter; the den is similar to the den of polar bears. In such dens there is a long tunnel, it is dug in the snow and reaches a length of up to 40 meters or more. The nesting chamber is arranged under a 3-meter snowdrift.

How fierce are these wolverines?

In a word, very. These fierce little predators are not afraid of anything. To put it mildly, their behavior can be described as: win or die.

They are incredibly strong for their size and successfully defend their prey from larger animals, including bears and wolves.

There is a documented story of a wolverine killing polar bear. At the zoo, a wolverine was placed in an enclosure with a bear and immediately attacked him, squeezing the bear's throat until it suffocated.

Here is one story from the book that is good example relationships between wolverines and other wild animals:
“A ranger follows the trail that leads to Hidden Lake in Overlook, looking through binoculars at a grizzly bear standing by the water. Then he noticed an excited wolverine nearby on a pile of brushwood. It may have been a beaver lodge, as sticks covered the structure. Bears often pile up dirt, snow, and branches on top of leftover food to hide it. Wolverines are known to do the same and more carefully, although they often carry pieces of food and hide them. As for the hiding place, as you might guess, “negotiations” were in full swing. The bear began to approach. Instead of giving up her position and retreating, the wolverine climbs forward and makes several sharp lunges towards the bear, as if she is preparing for a fight and the bear retreats a little. This sequence of actions was repeated several times. Eventually, the grizzly turned away and took a longer path around the lake.”

“Biologists describe several cases where a wolverine stepped on a grizzly bear that was feeding on a carcass and chased away the bear. We can totally agree with that, this beast is a badass because what else is there to do when you weigh maybe 30 pounds.”

Hunting with traps

In the north, wolverines are caught in traps. But if a foreign object emits an unfamiliar odor, the predator will never approach the foreign object. When setting traps, it is necessary to mask the trap with great care and use maximum caution. Iron odor can be eliminated in a simple way- it’s enough to pour a trap in the cold clean water. The thin crust of ice that forms on the iron will be a good barrier to odor. To hunt wolverine, reliable and strong self-catchers are used. This animal will break any trap. It will also break the metal chain tied to the plane. But they very rarely fall into such traps.

It happens that a hunter tries to kill a bird with the help of a dog, but stumbles upon a wolverine. And if she doesn’t leave, the dog will drive her up a tree and bark. In this situation, the hunter will move closer, take aim and pull the trigger. They shoot at the wolverine with buckshot, you need to hit either the chest or the head. This animal must be killed with the first shot, otherwise the wounded animal will kill the hunter and his dog.

Wolverine can be caught by tracking. This is a fascinating type of hunting. The animal hunts at dusk and lies down during the day.

The hunter's task is to approach the animal unnoticed and then fire an accurate shot. The wolverine lays down where it hunted at night, then curls up in an open place and falls asleep. In cloudy weather, it rests under simple shelters or under spruce branches. The hunter must exercise extreme caution and approach the animal within shooting distance. You cannot approach a wolverine from the leeward side, otherwise the hunt will be doomed to failure.

Taming

Wolverine cubs taken from the wild adapt very well to humans and become completely tame and gentle.

Male wolverines defend an area ranging from 600 to 2000 km2. In females, the area size is significantly smaller - from 50 to 350 km2.

Wolverine has earned the nickname “the hyena of the north” because with its strong jaws it can crush even the most gigantic bones. In addition, it performs an important sanitary function in nature.

They say about the wolverine that it is so strong that it can pull aside and hide prey that weighs three times more than itself.

Feeling a threat to her cubs, the female wolverine attacks animals larger than herself. Wolverine can also attack humans.

Wolverines are also known as, skunk bear, stinky bear, nasty cat, devil bear

Wolverine in culture

The comic book character mutant superhero James Howlett is named after the animal. James' character actually matches that of an animal raised in the wild.

It is believed that there are now about 30 thousand wolverines living on the planet. It is no wonder that these predators rarely meet their own kind, preferring to rule alone in areas of one to two thousand square kilometers.

Description, appearance of wolverine

Both the family and the subfamily, which includes the predator, are called the same - “mustelids”. Only the sea otter is larger than the wolverine (among its close relatives). The size of a wolverine resembles large dog, in appearance - a badger or a bear with a fluffy, moderately long (18-23 cm) tail. An adult animal grows to 70-85 cm with a weight of 10-14 kg (female) and 13-17 kg (male). The largest specimens can pull 20 kg.

On big head neat rounded ears are noticeable, the muzzle resembles a bear's. The eyes, like the nose, are black. The squat, dense body is set on short, thick limbs, with the front ones being shorter than the rear ones, visually raising the back of the body, which is why it appears slightly hunched over.

The wolverine is distinguished by its huge five-toed, almost square feet (10 cm length, 9 cm width): such a “sole”, reinforced with hooked claws, helps the animal easily overcome deep snowy areas. When moving, the plantigrade predator clearly has a clubfoot, as it places its paw resting on the entire foot.

Summer fur is too short to add charm to the wolverine, hiding its disproportionately large skull and legs: at this time of year it looks especially ridiculous. The wolverine becomes prettier in the cold, growing a thick coat of dark brown/black coloring, diluted with a wide, lighter stripe on the sides.

Habitat

The beast inhabits vast areas of the polar and temperate zones North America and Eurasia, settling in the remote northern taiga, Arctic islands, forest-tundra and tundra (where there are many wild animals).

The animal is recognized as the official symbol of the state of Michigan, which is often called the “Wolverine State.” In Europe, the wolverine has chosen the northern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Finland, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus and Russia.

In our country, the predator can be found in Siberia, the Kola Peninsula, the Perm Territory, Karelia, the Komi Republic, the Far East and Kamchatka. The southern boundaries of settlement pass through the Kirov, Tver, Leningrad, Pskov, Vologda and Novgorod regions.

Clusters of wolverines in wildlife are observed extremely rarely. One of the naturalists described with surprise the crowding of animals in the Sikhote-Alin mountains that he and his comrades noticed: 100 square kilometers per individual. Such a record density for a predator was explained a large number moose that came to these places. It is known that about four hundred wolverines live in the vast territory of the Ussuri region, and no more than two thousand wolverines live in the vastness of Yakutia.

Natural enemies of wolverine

Like all representatives of mustelids, the wolverine has prianal glands, whose secretions are used in three cases:

• to attract individuals of the opposite sex;
• to designate “one’s” territory;
• to scare away the enemy.

The odorous secret not only protects the wolverine from attacks by predators, but also gives it courage, in the heat of which it shamelessly takes prey from the wolf and lynx. The lack of resistance is explained simply: the lynx, as a scrupulously clean animal, is trying to get away from the smelly robber as quickly as possible.

Rumor has it that a large wolverine can attack a wolf itself, relying on its strength and strong teeth: if these do not help, progress is underway the last killer weapon is the disgusting smell. Wolverine is full of anger, which is why even the bear avoids her. Does not attack a person unless absolutely necessary: ​​only if he drives her into a corner. When in danger, he barks like a fox.

This is interesting! Doctor biological sciences Yuri Porfirievich Yazan, author of interesting books about commercial mammals, highly appreciated the tirelessness, strength and fearlessness of wolverine. Yazan wrote that she would not give in to a bear or even a tiger, but she would not shed blood in vain.

There were stories among hunters that the wolverine regularly engaged in robberies, stealing food (including meat) from a storehouse and animals from a trap. For these tricks, as well as for the fact that Wolverine ruins the traps installed on hunting trails, they gave her the unflattering nickname “dirty predator” and began to kill without any measure. In some places they even wrote out a bonus for the destruction of the wolverine.

They stopped chasing the animal not long ago, having better learned its habits and appreciated its contribution to the health of the forest fauna. As it turned out, taiga warehouses are more often destroyed by brown bears, and wolverines, although they roam near warehouses and hunting trails, avoid people and do not steal food.

Lifestyle

The wolverine is nomadic, unlike its relatives in the family, who settle in one place: it tirelessly scours its vast territory, tracking down (usually at dusk) suitable prey.

On the road, the wolverine does not forget to look where small animals can hide - in hollows, nests, holes, dead wood and snags. It climbs trees without difficulty thanks to its tenacious claws and strong paws.

Wolverine does not like it when individuals of the same sex encroach on its territory, and fiercely defends its autonomy. Temporary shelters for the animal are depressions under uprooted roots, rock crevices and hollows. If there is no shelter nearby, it can spend the night on rocks or snow.

This is interesting! Wolverine is an enviable swimmer. She also has excellent eyesight, good hearing, but not a particularly keen sense of smell.

The wolverine's fearlessness is complemented by its caution: both qualities allow it to quietly walk along the paths of humans and large predators in the hope of picking up something edible. Wolverine can walk on any trail, on a snowmobile track and on a ski track.

Speed ​​is not her strong point (a skier or a dog can easily outpace a wolverine), but she has endurance, running on average up to 30 km per day. Runs slightly sideways and skips. There are known cases when wolverines set records for the duration of movements: one covered 70 km without stopping, the second ran 85 km in a day, the third covered 250 kilometers in 2 weeks.

Zoologists believe that on the way, the wolverine does not know the time of day, resting if it feels tired.

Wolverine nutrition

The range of its gastronomic interests is extremely wide, but its omnivorous nature is not supported by sufficient hunting skills: the wolverine does not always have the dexterity to catch a small animal and the strength to kill a large one. True, this does happen occasionally: a wolverine can drive away a completely healthy elk or deer that is drowning in deep snow or stuck in crust. What can we say about a wounded or sick animal: the wolverine will not miss its chance. She does not hesitate to pick up pieces left after a feast of bears, lynxes or wolves. The cries of ravens and crows “suggest” her to carrion.

Wolverine is one of the forest orderlies, freeing the populations of musk deer, deer, mountain sheep, elk and roe deer from weak relatives. The statistics are as follows: she picks up 7 out of 10 ungulates from large predators, and kills three herself.

This is interesting! The reason for the rare association of adult wolverines is collective hunting. This usually happens in areas Eastern Siberia and the Far East, where there are many musk deer escaping persecution in circles. Knowing this feature, wolverines divide roles: one drives the musk deer, the others wait for the circle to close.

Wolverine calmly endures a week-long hunger, but always eats in reserve, quickly gaining weight. It chews a large victim into several large fragments and hides it in different places, eating it up gradually. Musk deer are eaten within 3-4 days.

Usually ungulates and carrion make up winter diet wolverines. In summer and spring, food becomes more varied, and travel in search of food becomes rare.

The predator's summer menu includes:

• newborn puppies, calves and lambs;
• birds (hazel grouse, black grouse) and bird eggs;
• fish (live and dead);
• mice, lizards, frogs and snakes;
• berries, honey and nuts;
• wasp larvae

Possessing low speed but increased endurance, it is capable of killing its prey with a long pursuit.

Reproduction

The male and female begin to treat each other favorably in May–August, during the mating period, forming a temporary (several weeks) union. Childbirth in wolverines occurs once every 2 years, and pregnancy has a long latent phase (7–8 months), after which normal development of the embryo begins. After 30 to 40 days, the female finally gives birth.

Waiting for the birth expectant mother equips a den, to which one or two long (up to 40 meters) holes lead. Wolverine does not care about comfort and lines his lair carelessly, from the first days hinting to his offspring about the hardships of nomadic life. The nest is not always located in a safe place (in a cave, between stones, in the roots of a tree): sometimes it is just a depression in the thickness of the snow.

Puppies (2-4) are born in February/March. The babies are blind and ugly, each weighing no more than 70-100 grams. By a month they weigh up to 0.5 kg and open their eyes, and after a couple of months they become similar to their mother, while being inferior to her in weight.

Mother's milk is replaced by half-digested food, and the puppies gain relative independence, emerging from the den with their mother already in the middle of summer. Wolverine prepares them for the long journeys that they will be allowed to take when they reach full maturity at 2 years of age.

Wolverine and man

Taiga hunters note that the wolverines they catch are distinguished by increased fatness, but this animal rarely joins the number of hunting trophies.

Wolverine skin is a scarce commodity. Its special demand among northern aborigines is explained by its durable and long pile, which does not freeze in severe frost. The fur is used to sew outerwear, as well as to make muffs, collars and hats.
They ask for more for a wolverine skin than for a sable skin - from 70 to 100 dollars.

This is interesting! Live wolverines are no less highly prized. Zoos are willing to pay $250 for each predator. The wolverine is extremely rare in captivity, since its population in the wild is limited.

By the way, wolverine cubs that come into contact with humans very quickly become attached and become tame. The domestic animal takes care of itself, is unpretentious, obeys its owner and is very funny.

Wolverine is one of the bravest and, dare I say it, uncompromising animals on Earth. When talking about the character of wolverine, analogies with the honey badger involuntarily come to mind. But wolverine, perhaps, has an even tougher disposition and thanks to this he can defeat even a larger and stronger opponent. There are known cases when a wolverine took prey from several wolves, each of which was larger than it. Wolverine is also capable of repelling even a baribal or a young brown bear. However, in the animal kingdom things are not so simple. For example, the outcome of clashes with the same wolves can be completely different. It happens that one wolf deals with wolverine, but it should be noted that in any case, wolverine usually fights to the end. Wolverine's courage reaches, it must be said, even to the point of recklessness. However, this beast’s sense of self-preservation is developed to an incredible degree. For example, a wolverine caught in a trap can bite off its own paw and thereby save its life.
In general, the wolverine is a very controversial animal. Being a very aggressive and extremely assertive animal, it is nevertheless quite easily tamed. Wolverine cubs falling into the hands of a loving and knowledgeable person They become strongly attached to him and become affectionate and completely tame animals.
Wolverine is a pronounced polyphagous animal, that is, an omnivore, but with an emphasis on carnivory. In summer, she often feeds on plant foods, but in winter, the basis of her diet is the meat of animals that she hunts herself, takes from weaker predators, or picks up from stronger ones. Deep snow makes it easier for the wolverine to hunt, since it is excellently adapted to moving through deep snow (even better than an animal adapted to deep snow like the lynx). In deep snow, a wolverine is capable of dealing with even an adult male deer, and in exceptional cases, even with an elk. In the summer, it is quite difficult for her to hunt on her own, since the wolverine is not a very fast runner, although it is extremely hardy.
The wolverine's main food competitors are wolves. Wolverine tries to avoid wolf packs. There are many known cases where a pack of wolves killed a wolverine. Another food competitor of wolverine, although not as significant, is lynx. As a rule, the wolverine dominates the lynx - it takes away its prey, and, on occasion, drives the lynx itself into a tree. However, the opposite also happens. I know of at least one case where a lynx drove a wolverine away from its prey. Other competitors of the wolverine include the bear, other mustelids such as the sable, etc. But the competition between these animals is very insignificant.
Despite some external resemblance with a bear and bulkiness, the wolverine is a very flexible animal and belongs to the same subfamily as the smaller mustelids - Mustelinae (a subfamily of true martens), within which it forms the monotypic genus Gulo (wolverines).

Taxonomy:
Squad: Carnivora (carnivores)
Suborder: Caniformia (caniformes)
Family: Mustelidae (mustelidae)
Subfamily: Mustelinae (true mustelids)

Wolverines are strong, smart animals. You can see them with your own eyes in the circus and zoo. You will learn a lot of interesting things about these unique animals by reading this material.

Wolverine (in English: Wolverine, in Latin: Gulo gulo) is a predatory mammal that belongs to the mustelid family. The name of this animal is Latin language translated as “glutton”, and from Norwegian as “mountain whale”.

The habitats of wolverines are forest-tundra, taiga, and sometimes tundra. They live in North America, Eurasia, and are found in the Baltic states, Poland, and Finland. In Russia, individuals can most often be found in the Far East, in Siberia, but their habitats are also in the Novgorod, Pskov regions, Kola Peninsula, Karelia.

What does the wolverine animal look like: description

Wolverine is an animal characterized by its large size. The body length varies from 70 to 86 cm, and the tail grows to 18-23 cm. The wolverine weighs 9-30 kg, with females slightly smaller than males.

Wolverine looks like a large badger or small bear - it has an awkward, squat body, its hind legs are longer than its front. The feet are wide, with a length of 10 cm, they have a width of 9 cm. The muzzle of the animal is elongated, the tail is fluffy.

When walking, the animal steps on the entire foot, so the wolverine’s gait is the same as that of a bear, clubfoot. The wolverine's fur is thick, coarse, and has long hair. Brown-black fur or brown. From the top of the head, along the shoulders, to the croup there is a stripe of golden or yellow. The animal's teeth are sharp and powerful.

Wolverines are divided into 2 subspecies - European and North American.

These animals lead night image life, they sleep during the day, and go hunting at dusk.

Wolverines desperately defend the boundaries of their territory if they are violated by an individual of the same sex. They settle in rock crevices, under uprooted tree roots and in other similar places.

They often change their roosting location in search of prey. But at the same time they try not to go beyond the boundaries of their personal plot, which sometimes extends to 2000 square meters. km. Wolverines have excellent hearing, sense of smell, and acute vision. The animal has long claws and powerful paws, so it is easy for it to climb trees.

Since wolverines are predators, their diet mainly consists of animal food. They feed on mouse-like rodents, hazel grouse, black grouse, and sometimes what is left from the hunt of bears and wolves. If the animal has nothing to eat, it can attack the wolf itself (but this happens rarely) or recapture their prey from him or the lynx.

Sometimes wolverines hunt large ungulates; wounded, sick or young animals become their prey. Wolverine can kill an animal that is 5 times taller than itself! But this happens mainly in winter. High snow cover makes it difficult for animals to move; wolverines take advantage of this and attack their potential prey. These predators are capable for a long time pursue prey, as they are distinguished by endurance.

In summer, the wolverine is not averse to eating honey, berries, wasp larvae, bird eggs, and lemmings (rodents). Like the bear, the wolverine fishes during spawning or near wormwood. Moreover, she eats not only fresh fish, but does not disdain already dried fish.

Wolverines hunt birds not only when they are on the ground, but also in nests, since these animals, despite their external clumsiness, perfectly climb trees and cling to trunks and thick branches.

Even a bear tries to avoid an angry and aggressive animal if it meets a wolverine. She can drive the bear away from his own prey and take the trophy for herself.

Although these animals hunt well, they prefer to save energy and, if possible, eat carrion. In this they are also similar to bears.

During the mating season, rassokhas stop leading a solitary lifestyle. The mating season for these animals lasts from April to October, but the most intense breeding season occurs in April - June.

At this time, individuals are intensively looking for a partner. Sometimes animals mate several times in a row. The initial stage of pregnancy in wolverines is very interesting. This period is called the open stage. In almost all other animals, the fertilized egg attaches to the wall of the uterus and begins to rapidly divide and develop here. In wolverines, it moves freely in the uterus for some time without developing. This latent stage allows wolverine cubs to be born at the most appropriate time of year - January - April. This usually happens once every 2 years.

The female is preparing to give birth. To do this, she prepares a long, spacious lair in a hollow tree, under a rock or in a snowdrift, and buries food for herself next to it. Usually 2-3 babies are born, but sometimes up to five. They are born blind, but covered with thick fur, so they do not freeze in the cold, and their mother warms them with her warmth. She extremely rarely leaves the den within 2-3 weeks after giving birth, since during this period she intensively feeds the babies with her milk and protects them. She herself feeds on what she brought as trophies to the den even before giving birth.

After three weeks, she begins to go far to hunt small animals and birds, which she brings to her puppies. When they are 8-10 weeks old, the mother begins to take them out of the den and teaches them to hunt on their own.

When deciding this issue, do not forget that wolverines are quite large predators. It’s even scary to imagine what they can do if a person offends them or behaves in a way that angers the beast.

It is believed that if you take an animal in infancy, it can be tamed. But, of course, wolverines need to be kept in cages and released to roam in a fenced enclosure, observing all safety rules. However, it is better to leave the maintenance and taming of wolverines to professional zoologists who are well aware of all the intricacies of this difficult task, will be able to properly feed the animal and provide the individual with the space necessary for its full life.

The Wolverines have one more interesting property, which makes it difficult to keep them at home. Like skunks, when in danger or fear, wolverines can release a foul-smelling stream. Experienced hunters say that if this stream hits hunting dogs, they may lose the sharpness of their instincts. If a wolverine marks a person with this secretion, the smell can last up to ten days.

Therefore, it is better to watch this animal on TV screens, in the zoo - it is much safer than deciding to buy an animal for your home.

Video of a wolverine saving a man

Wolverine (Gulo gulo) is a strong, fierce, dexterous and cautious animal beyond its size. In the 18th century, the famous Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus doubted whether this species should be classified as a weasel or a canid. And although today we know for sure that wolverines are full representatives of the mustelid family, they still remain a mystery to scientists in many respects. And the point is not at all in the rarity of the animal, but in its secretive way of life and amazing intellectual abilities, about which there are legends. Back in time immemorial in the myths of the indigenous people of America, this beast was the personification of intelligence, cunning and caution.

This is a fairly large representative of the family. The body weight of females is about 10, and that of males is about 15 kg, sometimes the weight of individual individuals can reach up to 20 kg. Body length is 70-95 cm, tail - 18-23 cm. Externally, the wolverine resembles a miniature bear.

The wolverine's body is squat, strong and dense, with well-developed muscles; the legs are thick with wide five-toed feet and with large curved and very sharp claws, the hind limbs are longer than the front; the tail is short and bushy. The head of the beast is wide and round; the eyes are small, the ears are short, round, and widely spaced.

The wolverine is painted quite beautifully. The color of the fur varies from dark brown to black, sometimes light brown animals are found. Most individuals have a light silvery mask on the face and light yellow or rufous stripes extending from the shoulders and converging on the rump. There may also be light spots on the neck and chest.

Thanks to its coarse, thick and long fur, the beast is not afraid of severe frosts. He is not afraid of heavy snow either. Large paws and plantigrade walking allow the wolverine to move through snowdrifts. She can dig tunnels in the snow to caches of food, and she herself is capable of hiding under the snow for several days.

The jaws and teeth are very powerful; the animal can easily bite through frozen meat and crush the bones of deer.

In the photo, the wolverine demonstrates its formidable weapon- teeth.

Where does the wolverine live?

The distribution of wolverine is associated with the north. It lives in North America and northern Eurasia. Inhabits the northern taiga, forest-tundra, as well as areas covered with forests and shrubs. She also wanders onto the Arctic coast. Tries to stay in places where there are more wild animals.

In Russia, the border of its range passes through the Leningrad and Vologda regions and the Perm region. It is quite common in the Far East and Siberia.

Due to human persecution, deforestation and urbanization, the wolverine's habitat has now been significantly reduced, and its border has shifted to the north. In the past, its range extended as far south as southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states and north-eastern Poland and included most of Russia. These animals were found in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario. In much of this area today they are no longer found.

Wolverine lifestyle and habits

The wolverine is primarily active at night, but can also go hunting during the day. It does not have a permanent den; it makes its beds wherever necessary - under the roots of trees, in a hollow, or simply in the snow. It usually hunts alone, only occasionally several individuals gather for a hearty meal.

The wolverine's scientific name Gulo translates to "glutton." She really doesn’t suffer from a lack of appetite, and if she’s lucky on a hunt, she eats her fill. But at the same time he may fast for several days.

In general, this animal is called as many names as possible: the demon of the north, the forest demon, the devil's bear, and the skunk bear. Apparently, the animal’s ability to pick up everything that is “badly lying” has given rise to many stories about the extraordinary audacity, cunning and cunning of the wolverine. Indeed, there is such a sin behind it: it can destroy hunting traps and eat the bait. For such tricks, hunters consider her a “dirty predator.” But it does not bring direct harm to a person and cannot attack him. She herself does not often fall into traps and traps, despite the fact that she constantly examines them. And if he falls into a trap, he will not spare his paw - he will bite it off.

Despite his rather clumsy appearance, the wolverine runs well on snow and ice, swims well, and deftly climbs trees, even holding large prey in its teeth. Wide paws replace snowshoes, distributing the mass over the surface and allowing it to run in deep soft snow. This is a very hardy animal; it can walk 30-40 km in the snow in a day. Outwardly, she seems clumsy, but this is a deceptive impression. Her body is very flexible, and her reaction is lightning fast. The wolverine's vision is poor, but its hearing and sense of smell are excellent.

Carnivore diet

Wolverine hunts both large and small animals. Most often, small rodents, white hare, musk deer, bighorn sheep. In winter she attacks reindeer or feeds on previously caught game. She searches for her using her sense of smell. The hunted victim, which the animal cannot eat immediately, is divided into parts and hidden in hiding places, which it makes in the ground, in the snow, in crevices between stones or in swamps. Supplies can be stored in caches for up to six months.

Thanks to its powerful physique, the animal is capable of killing prey many times its size. There are known cases when a wolverine chased a bear away from killed prey and dragged a moose carcass to a hiding place for several kilometers.

In summer, the wolverine also feeds on dead deer cubs and picks up animals killed by lynxes, bears or wolves. Since spring, it has been intensively searching for bird nests and destroying them. Sometimes he catches fish, lizards and frogs, and on occasion he is not averse to eating berries or nuts.

Family relationships

Wolverines are solitary animals. They pair up only in mating season, which falls on April-August. But implantation of fertilized eggs occurs only in winter. This delay ensures that the cubs are born at the optimal time for their development - usually in late February - early March. Babies are born in a den, which the mother makes among stones or in a tunnel dug under the snow.

There are most often 2-3 cubs in a litter. Newborns are covered with white fur and weigh only about 90 grams. Babies feed on mother's milk until 9-10 months. The young grow quickly, and already at the end of April they begin to accompany their mother everywhere. They reach the size of adult animals by the beginning of winter, and separate from their mother at the age of about one year.

Individual ranges of wolverines are huge. Females with cubs occupy a territory from 40 to 1000 km2, males’ territories are 2-3 times larger. They do not tolerate strangers on their lands. Depending on the season, animals can change their habitats. During their migrations, they make large circles, and after a month they usually return to their original place. However, with an abundance of food, they live more or less sedentary.

Wolverine's enemies

The wolverine has no special and obvious enemies - its teeth are strong, and it doesn’t lack strength. To a certain extent, her enemies include the wolf, who may try to attack the wolverine, but only once in her life, and even then due to inexperience. Bears and lynxes pose a danger only to young animals.

The wolverine, like all members of the family, has anal glands that secrete a secretion with a very strong and unpleasant smell. This is the animal’s main “weapon” against enemies, which not only protects it from other predators, but also gives our heroine such impudence that she often takes prey from the lynx. The latter, distinguished by cleanliness and disgust, apparently prefers not to get involved with impudent and unpleasant-smelling animals.

Saving a view

Wolverines are a vulnerable species throughout much of their range, with some populations endangered. The general trend is a reduction in range and decline in numbers. Only in some places in North America the number of these animals does not cause concern.

Wolverines are hunted and caught in traps. They became especially vulnerable when high-speed snowmobiles were used in the hunting process.