Wolverine is a predatory animal from the marten family; it looks like a cross between cubs and sables. Some Aborigines have suggested that Wolverines are actually little cubs that could not grow.
Wolverine - an interesting animal, from ancient times endowed with mystical properties. There are many legends about the beast, but not every one of them is true. The Indians of North America, as well as the "inhabitants of the forest" of the taiga near the Yenisei, came up with a lot of legends about Wolverines.
Description and lifestyle
Wolverines are similar to the other representatives of the marten, but are a separate species of animals. Despite its size, Wolverine is not the largest representative of the family. The leading place is rightfully occupied by giant otters.
The sizes of wolverines vary from 30 to 100 cm. One tail can be up to 30 cm long. The head is small with rounded ears. Wolverines grow up to 50 cm tall with a short, dense trunk. Due to the wide-spaced large paws, a feeling of some disproportion can be created. Despite the clumsiness of movement, the wolverines move very deftly and can easily be saved from predators.
The chest can be of various shapes, is unique to each beast, as well as a fingerprint. Wolverines are able to climb trees, clinging to large strong claws. Despite this ability, animals prefer to lead a land-based lifestyle. They also know how to swim.
Wolverines can be called fearless. They can fight with larger predators, cracking down on them with powerful jaws and sharp teeth. Animals are hardy, can run fast and long without stopping. They are very strong, can cope with a bear or a pack of wolves alone. It is for this reason that other animals prefer not to encounter them.
The fur is brown, thick and long. The body of the animal is well protected from the effects of temperatures. In summer, the animal sheds, short hair grows. Boka wolverines are decorated with stripes of mainly white or gray colors. If the wolverine is lying on the snow, then it will not melt under it due to the high level of thermal insulation.
The animal loves solitude, usually lives in areas where there are many artiodactyls. If the year was hungry, then the wolverines can go far from their usual home. The animal’s dwelling is dry and warm; the house is set up in nooks under tree roots and in caves. Wolverines get their food at night, they can even prey on bears. Wild Wolverines do not like people, shy away from them.
Origin of the species
Wolverine is one of the largest predatory animals of the marten family. Outwardly look like a small brown bear. Previously, scientists could not decide where to attribute the wolverines - to dogs or to affection.
Now wolverines are considered the only representatives of their species. The people called the animals skunk bears because of the unpleasant smell released by the glands in case of danger. All representatives of marten have such a remedy.
Animals have become known since ancient times, but it is extremely difficult to study them. They are not sociable, prefer to live alone. The temper is very fierce, the wolverines are not afraid of anyone. Therefore, people preferred to avoid even random encounters.
Animals attack livestock, can hunt adult deer. Wolverines periodically eat prey from traps set by a person. The appearance of the wolverine is deceptive, behind it is a harsh and powerful beast.
Habitat - where it lives
Animals were widely distributed in Siberia and North America. Animals prefer forests and artisanal terrain. In such places there are many nooks where you can live in peace.In some cases, wolverine can be found in uncharacteristic territories, for example, in the Arctic. Animals have chosen territories where there are many other mammals, because they are the main source of nutrition.
Wolverines live in Finland, Russia, USA, CIS countries. In Russia, animals prefer the territory of the tundra. The state of The Wolverine State (Michigan) in the USA was named so because of the large number of wolverines on its territory. Wolverines are gradually dying out, the constant deforestation and fires destroy habitual habitats.
Appearance and features
Wolverine is inferior in size only to a giant sea otter, the dimensions of which can be up to 1.5 meters. Females of Wolverine are slightly less, weigh up to 10 kg, while males - up to 15. Some individuals can weigh 20 kg. The body of the animal is up to one meter long, excluding the tail. The tail reaches 30 cm. The beast has an average height of 0.5 meters.
Wolverine is a muscular animal, the body is stocky and pulled up. Each paw has five fingers with long and sharp claws. It is believed that there is no animal whose claws are longer than the claws of wolverines in length. Thanks to them, the beast can not be afraid that it will fall into the snowdrifts and not get out. It digs well, can take place even in the most inaccessible places.
Due to the length of the hind legs, a feeling of disproportion is created. The head of the beast has a slightly elongated shape. The ears are small and almost bald. On the face are tiny black eyes and the same color nose. The teeth are large, sharpened sharply. Thanks to them, the animal hunts excellently, can bite the bones of enemies. Even frozen animal remains can easily be attacked by powerful jaws.
Usually animals have a dark brown or black color, sometimes light brown individuals are found. The muzzle of the animal is decorated with a bright “mask”, which can be cast in silver. Wolverines also have a lighter chest area.
Thick dense wool in winter reliably protects from cold weather, they are not afraid of any obstacles. In winter, they dig deep burrows, large snow tunnels. So she can get to her stocks for the winter. In such holes animals remain for a long time. In the summer, wolverines shed much, the skins are no longer so beautiful.
Interesting fact: Wolverines lead a secretive lifestyle. Learning them is not so simple. Great interest in the animal arose after the release of a series of films with the main character - Wolverine. The actor was able to convey some of the habits of the animal.
How long does a wolverine live?
In the wild, wolverines adhere to certain territories. They are live no more than 15 years. Animal loners, therefore, can divide their territories only during the mating season. Usually no more than 4 puppies are born, which the female takes care of. She fully educates kids, shows how to hunt.
How many wolverines live in zoos?
With a life expectancy of up to 15 years in nature, Wolverine can live a couple of years more in captivity. This is due to the fact that in the zoos nothing threatens the animal, it is looked after and fed.
What does it eat?
Animals prefer to eat mammals. They can hunt animals whose dimensions are several times larger than their own. Wolverines are extremely hardy, can run for hours without stopping, bringing the victim to exhaustion. Do not disdain and carrion. They can be called the first orderlies of the forest. Even wolves do not eat so much carrion.
The remaining predators do not risk attacking the Wolverines. The animal is so scary in anger that it can defeat an adult bear. The animal is gluttonous they can eat more than their weight. Animals hunt artiodactyls, find carrion on the cries of ravens. Wolverines and fruits also love. In the summer, they sometimes expel bears from raspberries.
Mostly wolverines are single, but in some cases they can gather in small squads for hunting. Especially often this occurs near the habitats of musk deer.Animals are so smart that they can drive a victim together in a circle, from where they can’t get out.
Features of character and lifestyle
Animals are usually loners. They can wander from place to place, and also remain in one place, if food is plentiful. Animals do not move very fast, but they do not occupy stamina. Sometimes an animal can walk up to 70 km without stopping for a minute. Wolverines do not allow anyone into their territory, exceptions occur only in the mating season and only for females.
Wolverines do not have a permanent residence. Wolverines stop for sleep in small caves, under the roots. During the offspring, females can build a kind of den, where they will grow cubs for some time. Such lairs are striking in their size; they can extend several meters.
The hunt takes place at night, in the evenings. Animals are not suitable for people, carefully avoided. Any competitors will be expelled from the territories.
Social structure and reproduction
Wolverines cannot stay with one partner all their lives. They are used to constant solitude and are found only for mating games. An egg can develop only 7 months after fertilization. Animals admit the opposite sex to themselves only for 2 weeks, when mating games take place. The development of the egg lasts a little over a month, after which the female gives birth. This usually happens in late winter - early spring.
In Wolverines, no more than four puppies are born. In a comfortable mink, the female gives birth to offspring. Puppies are born very tiny - up to 100 grams. They don’t see anything, with a white undercoat. Vision gain only after a month. Up to three months, babies feed on mother's milk, and then raw meat is gradually introduced into their diet, and the mother begins to teach hunting.
By July, the cubs constantly go after their mother, observe her habits, and learn to get food. Only at the age of two years the cubs become independent and go into adulthood.
Natural enemies
In nature, the enemies of Wolverines practically do not exist. Few people dare to anger the animal, even bears bypass the wolverines. This happens not only because of the fierce disposition, but also because of the discharge with a pungent odor. Wolverines are so fearless that they take prey from wolves, lynxes and bears.
Lynxes disdain to attack because of a pungent smell. Cats are clean enough and just don't want to mess with. Animals just run away from wolverines. At the same time, the males of the beast can easily attack larger animals, the jaws are strong enough to bite the bones of wolves. In the case when the wolves do not want to part with valuable prey, the wolverine begins to exude a strong smell. Wolverines are quite aggressive, scare away other animals with one look.
Interesting fact: Wolverines maintain the natural ecological balance of forests and ponds. They can be considered the orderlies of the forest, as they sometimes feed on carrion. Even wolves clean forests worse than wolverines.
At the same time, Wolverines are afraid of people. They never rush themselves all cases of Wolverine attacks on humans were triggered by humans. If a person approaches very close, then they warn with a bark similar to foxes. The animal will not attack a person just like that for reasons of caution. Thus, the most important enemy of Wolverines can be considered a person. Poachers kill animals due to fur, which is highly regarded.
Due to human activities, the environmental situation is constantly deteriorating, the natural habitats of Wolverines are disappearing.
Population and species status
Due to the extermination of animals, the number of Wolverines is constantly decreasing. Extinction occurs not only due to shooting, but due to a combination of other factors. Such factors include environmental degradation, forest fires, and the construction of new settlements.The habitat of animals is constantly decreasing, as well as their number.
Animals are exposed to disease. Often suffer from rabies. A disease destroys a population very quickly and on a large scale. Wolverines are infected mainly from the corpses of animals that they feed on.
In many territories, Wolverines are difficult to detect, but this does not prevent poachers from constantly hunting them. The predator population is endangered. Now the situation is stable only in North America.
Interesting fact: Wolverine fur is not particularly beautiful, but it is highly valued for its properties. In the Far North, animal fur is much more expensive than sable. This is due to the ability of the fur is not covered with frost in the cold. Also, animal fur does not absorb moisture.
Security
Wolverines are recognized as a rare species, so they are listed not only in the Red Book of the whole world, but also in the regional Red Books of Russia:
- Red Book of the Karelian Republic;
- Red Book of the Murmansk region;
- Red Book of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.
It should also be noted that not only animal fur is highly valued, but also live animals. It is for this reason that poachers often catch live wolverines. After they are sold to zoos who want to get such a rare and unique copy in their collections. Due to a secretive lifestyle, Wolverines cannot take root in captivity, therefore they are constantly nervous, experiencing extreme stresses.
Economic value
Thanks to the valuable and warm fur, wolverines have become the target of poachers selling skins in black markets. Collars, fur coats and hats are created from hides. In severe frost, the fur is not covered with hoarfrost, which is distinctive.
Some wolverines are tamed by people and kept in their homes. Animal cubs taken at an early age get used to people.
How many wolverines in Russia?
Wolverine is very rare in nature. It happened because of the shooting of animals by poachers. Now the animals are listed in the Red Book. Despite the vast territories of Russia, he lives in the wild no more than 10 thousand animals.
Wolverine in heraldry
Wolverines are actively used in heraldry as a symbol of masculinity and courage. Animals are depicted on the arms of some municipalities in the northern part of the country, as well as in other habitats. Wolverine is depicted in:
- The Yakut flag of the Kirov lodge.
- Norwegian Coat of Arms of Bardoux.
- Coats of arms of Finland, USA awards.
