Difference between revisions of "Wolverine" - New World Encyclopedia
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This requirement for large territories brings wolverines into conflict with human development, and hunting and trapping further reduce their numbers, causing them to disappear from large parts of their former range; attempts to have them declared an endangered species have met with little success.<ref name="gr"/> | This requirement for large territories brings wolverines into conflict with human development, and hunting and trapping further reduce their numbers, causing them to disappear from large parts of their former range; attempts to have them declared an endangered species have met with little success.<ref name="gr"/> | ||
| − | == | + | ==Woverines and humans== |
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| − | == | + | The wolverine figures prominently in the mythology of the [[Innu]] people of eastern [[Québec]] and [[Labrador]]. In at least one Innu myth, it is the creator of the world.<ref name="Armitage">{{cite journal | last = Armitage| first = Peter | title = Religious ideology among the Innu of eastern Quebec and Labrador | journal = Religiologiques | volume = 6 | date = 1992 | url = http://www.er.uqam.ca/nobel/religio/no6/armit.pdf | accessdate = 2007-06-29}} (PDF)</ref> |
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| − | The [[ | + | The wolverine's (questionable) reputation as an insatiable glutton may be in part due to a [[false etymology]]. The animal's name in old [[Swedish language|Swedish]], ''Fjellfräs'', meaning "[[fell]] (mountain) cat", worked its way into German as ''Vielfraß'', which means roughly "devours much". Its name in other West Germanic languages is similar (e.g. Dutch ''Veelvraat''). The name in [[Old Norse]], ''Jarfr'', lives on in the regular [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] name ''jerv'', regular Swedish name ''järv'' and regular [[Danish language|Danish]] name ''jærv''. |
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== References == | == References == | ||
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{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
Revision as of 13:52, 10 June 2008
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| Gulo gulo (Linnaeus, 1758) | ||||||||||||||
 Wolverine range
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The wolverine (Gulo gulo) is the largest land-dwelling species of the Mustelidae or weasel family (the Giant Otter is largest overall), and is the only species currently classified in the genus Gulo (meaning "glutton"). It is also called the Glutton or Carcajou. Some authors recognize two subspecies: the Old World form Gulo gulo gulo and the New World form G. g. luscus. A third subspecies limited to Vancouver Island (G. g. vancouverensis) is also occasionally described. However craniomorphic evidence suggests that the Vancouver Island wolverines are properly included within G. g. luscus.
Anatomy
Anatomically, (Gulo) is a stocky and muscular animal, the largest land-dwelling member of the Weasel family Mustelidae but known on occasion to eat plant material.[2] It has glossy brown hair with stripes of dull yellow along the sides. Its fur is long and dense and does not retain much water, making it very resistant to frost, which is common in the wolverine's cold habitat. (For these reasons, the fur has been traditionally popular among hunters and trappers as a lining in jackets and parkas, especially for wear in Arctic conditions). The adult wolverine is about the size of a medium dog, with a length usually ranging from 65-87 cm (25-34 inches), a tail of 17-26 cm (7-10 inches), and weight of 10-30 kg (22-66 lb). Males are as much as 30 percent larger than the females. In appearance the wolverine resembles a small bear with a long tail. It has been known to give off a very strong, extremely unpleasant odor, giving rise to the nicknames "skunk bear" and "nasty cat." Wolverines, as other mustelids, possess a special upper molar in the back of the mouth that is rotated 90 degrees, or sideways. This special characteristic allows wolverines to tear off meat from prey or carrion that has been frozen solid and also to crush bones, which enables the wolverine to extract marrow.[3][4]
Behavior
The wolverine is, like most mustelids, remarkably strong for its size. It has been known to kill prey as large as moose, although most typically when these are weakened by winter or caught in snowbanks. Wolverines inhabiting the Old World (specifically, Fennoscandia) are more active hunters than their North American cousins.[5] This may be because competing predator populations are not as dense, making it more practical for the wolverine to hunt for itself than to wait for another animal to make a kill and then try to snatch it. They often feed on carrion left by wolves, so that changes in the population of wolves may affect the population of wolverines.[6]
Armed with powerful jaws and a thick hide,[7] wolverines may defend kills against larger or more numerous predators.[8] There is at least one published account of a 27-pound wolverine's attempt to steal a kill from a much larger predator—namely, a black bear (adult males weigh 400 to 500 pounds). Unfortunately for the mustelid, the bear won what was ultimately a fatal contest, crushing the wolverine's skull.[9][10]
Mating season is in the summer, but the actual implantation of the embryo (blastocyst) in the uterus is stayed until early winter, delaying the development of the fetus. Females will often not produce young if food is scarce. Litters of typically two or three young ("kits") are born in the spring. Kits develop rapidly, reaching adult size within the first year of a lifespan that may reach anywhere from five to (in exceptional individuals) thirteen years.[citation needed]
Adult wolverines have no natural predators, save man, though they do come into conflict with (and may be killed by) other large predators over territory and food. Juveniles are of course more vulnerable; infants (kits) have been known on occasion to be taken by predatory birds such as eagles.[11]
Range
The wolverine lives primarily in isolated northern areas, for example the arctic and alpine regions of Alaska, northern Canada, Siberia and Scandinavia; they are also native to Russia and the Baltic countries. The wolverine is found as far south as the Sierra Nevada in California and a few remain in the Rocky Mountains and northern Cascades of the United States.[2]
The world's total wolverine population is unknown. The animal exhibits a low population density and requires a very large home range.[6] The range of a male wolverine can be more than 620 km² (240 sq mi) while encompassing the ranges of several females (with smaller home ranges of roughly 130-260 km² (50-100 sq mi). Adult wolverines try for the most part to keep non-overlapping ranges with adults of the same sex.[4] Radio tracking suggests an animal can range hundreds of miles in only a few months.
| Country | Population | Area | Year | State of Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 265+[12] | Norrbotten[12] | 1995-97[12] | Stable[12] |
| Norway | 150+[12] | Snøhetta plateau and North[12] | 1995-97[12] | Decline[12] |
| Finland | 115[12] | Karelia and North[12] | 1997[12] | Stable[12] |
| Russia | 1500[12] | Taiga[12] | 1970, 1990, [12] | Decline[12] |
| Russia - Komi | 885[12] | - | 1990[12] | - |
| Russia - Archangelsk Oblast | 410[12] | Nenetsky Autonomous Area[12] | 1990[12] | Limited[12] |
| Russia - Kola Peninsula | 160[12] | Hunting Districts[12] | 1990[12] | Decline[12] |
| USA - Alaska[13] | unknown[13] | Kobuk Valley National Park[13], Selawik National Wildlife Refuge[13] | 1998[13] | Decline[13] |
| USA - Alaska[14] | 3.0 (± 0.4 SE) wolverines/1,000 km2[14] | Turnagain Arm and the Kenai Mountains[14] | 2004[14] | -[14] |
| USA - California[6] | Unknown | Tahoe National Forest[6] | 2008[6] | Unknown[6] |
| Canada - Yukon | 9.7 (± 0.6 SE) wolverines/1,000 km2[14] | Old Crow Flats[14] | 2004[14] | -[14] |
| Canada - Ontario[15] | unclear[15] | Red Lake – Sioux Lookout to Fort Severn – Peawanuck[15] | 2004[15] | Stable to Expanding[15] |
| Canada - Overall[16] | 15000 to 19000[16] | Overall[16] | -[16] | Stable[16] |
This requirement for large territories brings wolverines into conflict with human development, and hunting and trapping further reduce their numbers, causing them to disappear from large parts of their former range; attempts to have them declared an endangered species have met with little success.[6]
Woverines and humans
The wolverine figures prominently in the mythology of the Innu people of eastern Québec and Labrador. In at least one Innu myth, it is the creator of the world.[17]
The wolverine's (questionable) reputation as an insatiable glutton may be in part due to a false etymology. The animal's name in old Swedish, Fjellfräs, meaning "fell (mountain) cat", worked its way into German as Vielfraß, which means roughly "devours much". Its name in other West Germanic languages is similar (e.g. Dutch Veelvraat). The name in Old Norse, Jarfr, lives on in the regular Norwegian name jerv, regular Swedish name järv and regular Danish name jærv.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- ↑ Mustelid Specialist Group 1996. [1]. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species., World Conservation Union. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Vulnerable (VU A2c v2.3).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rickert, Eve (June 28, 2007), "The perils of secrecy", High Country News
- ↑ Pratt, Philip. Dentition of the Wolverine. The Wolverine Foundation, Inc.. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Taylor, Ken (1994). Wolverine (HTML Public). Wildlife Notebook Series. Alaska Department of Fish & Game. Retrieved 2007-01-21.
- ↑ World Wildlife Fund–Sweden: 1st International Symposium on Wolverine Research and Management (PDF)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 "Wolverine wonder", Grist.org, March 4, 2008; also Associated Press (2008-03-10). Student's camera snaps wolverine in California. CNN.com. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
- ↑ World Biomes: Wolverine
- ↑ YouTube: Wolverine challenges bear to leave
- ↑ Washington Post: In Yellowstone, It's a Carnivore Competition
- ↑ Science Daily (2003-05-06). When Predators Attack (Each Other): Researchers Document First-known Killing Of A Wolverine By A Black Bear In Yellowstone. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-01-16.
- ↑ Hinterland Who’s who: Wolverine
- ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15 12.16 12.17 12.18 12.19 12.20 12.21 12.22 12.23 12.24 12.25 Arild Landa, Mats Lindén and Ilpo Kojola (2000). Action Plan for the conservation of Wolverines (Gulo gulo) in Europe. Nature and environment, No. 115. Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention). Retrieved 2008-01-25.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 Brad Shults, Gene Peltola, Jerrold Belant and Kyran Kunkel (12/17/98). population ecology of wolverines within Kobuk valley national park and Selawik national wildlife refuge. Rocky Mountain Research Station, US Department of Agriculture - Forest Service. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 14.8 Howard N. Goldena, J. David Henryb, Earl F. Beckera, Michael I. Goldsteinc, John M. Mortond, Dennis Frost, and Aaron J. Poef (12/17/98). Estimating wolverine Gulo gulo population size using quadrat sampling of tracks in snow. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation; Parks Canada - Kluane National Park; US Forest Service - Alaska Regional Office; United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge; North Yukon Renewable Resources Council; United States Forest Service, Chugach National Forest;. Retrieved 2007.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Dr. Audrey Magoun, Neil Dawson, Dr. Geoff Lipsett-Moore, Dr. Justina C. Ray (2004). Boreal Wolverine: A Focal Species for Land Use planning in Ontario's Northern Boreal Forest - Project Report. The Wolverine Foundation, Inc., Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario Parks, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)/University of Toronto. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Brian Slough et al. (May 2003). COSEWIC Assessment and Update Status Report on the Wolverine (Gulo gulo) - Eastern Population Western Population in Canada. COSEWIC (committee on the status of endangered wildlife in Canada) 2003. COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the wolverine Gulo gulo in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vi + 41 pp.. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
- ↑ Armitage, Peter (1992). Religious ideology among the Innu of eastern Quebec and Labrador. Religiologiques 6. (PDF)
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