News Excerpt:
The North American wolverine recently gained U.S. protection as a threatened species under a Biden administration policy citing threats to the animal's snowy habitat from climate change.
About the North American Wolverine:
General Description:
- It is the largest land-living species in the weasel family or mustelids.
- The wolverine usually weighs between 17 and 40 pounds, stands up to 1.5 feet tall, and is generally 33 to 44 inches long (including tail).
- The male is larger than the female.
- Wolverines have a wide variety of nicknames: Throughout the contiguous United States, they are known as the glutton, woods devil, Indian devil, ommeethatsees (a Cree Indian word), carcajou, quickhatch, nasty cat, and skunk bear.
- IUCN status: Least concerned.
- Gestation Period: 30 to 50 days.
Range:
- Alaska, Canada, and Russia, the North Cascades Range in Washington; the Northern Rockies of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming; and a small portion of Oregon (Wallowa Range).
Diet:
- Wolverines are ferocious predators that prey mostly on mammals such as rabbits and rodents.
- They are also scavengers, eating the carrion (carcasses) of large animals such as caribou, deer, and elk to help them through the winter when other food is scarce.
Wolverines are classified as threatened only in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Washington states. The designation does not apply in Alaska or Canada, where wolverines number in the thousands.
