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The Wolverine

The wolverine is a magical animal. It is the super weasel, the king of the family Mustelidae. It is the species in which weasel stamina, ferocity, implacability, and bad attitude reach apogee. At forty pounds, tops, the wolverine displaces wolves from their kills and faces down half-ton grizzlies. Eskimos trim their parka hoods with wolverine fur, because frozen breath is easily brushed from the hairs.

Within its range, the wolverine occupies many different kinds of habitats. Wolverines generally prefer remote areas, far away from humans and their developments. However, the specific characteristics of the wilderness that the wolverine depends upon are not yet known. This lack of knowledge about wolverine habitat makes it difficult for wildlife managers to manage the species and protect its habitat.

Wolverines are highly territorial animals, patrolling home ranges on the order of 400 to 1500 square kilometers. As a result of their huge home ranges, wolverine densities, even in optimal habitats, are quite low, making them susceptible to extirpation. The size of the home range is supposedly negatively correlated to prey abundance, and some scattered evidence supports this contention. Also, the home range size and position for males is directly related to the home ranges of females of reproductive age.

Because of its reputation and conflicts with trappers, the wolverine was considered a pest by European North Americans, an attitude that persisted into the 1960s. Today, wolverines’ numbers are greatly reduced in some areas, and conservation biologists and wildlife managers consider wolverines to be animals in need of protection. Given the very low densities and large home ranges of wolverines, the species is one at considerable risk of extinction by humans. Not only habitat destruction but also habitat fragmentation has resulted in extirpation of local populations. Not only do wolverines need considerable areas to survive, but these areas must also be uninterrupted by human influences. Forestry and mining in northern reaches negatively influence wolverines in three ways. First, they perturb the habitat, removing forest stands and low-lying vegetation preferred by wolverines. Second, their presence reduces the density of ungulates, meaning there is fewer prey for the wolverines. Third, the construction of access roads significantly modifies the movement patterns of wolverines, thus reducing their ability to find one another, mate and forage for food.

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