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| Common Name: | Wolverine | Family: | Mustelidae |
| Latin Name: | Gulo gulo | Diet: | Carnivore |
| Type: | Mammal | Habitat: | Grasslands, Woodlands |
| Native To: | North America, Europe | Social Unit: | Individual |
| IUCN Red List Status: | Near threatened |
Wolverines at Edinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo has two wolverines: one male and one female. Xale, the male, came to us in August 2006 from Helsinki Zoo where he was born in February 2005. Kirka, a female, was born in February 2003 and arrived here in May 2010.
Each wolverine has their own enclosure as they do not like to share space and we only allow Xale and Kirka to meet during the breeding season. Introductions are done very carefully as males and females can seriously injure each other. The best time to see our wolverines is early morning and late afternoon.
Where it can be found at Edinburgh Zoo
The wolverine enclosures are located near the top of the park.
Wolverines in the wild
Wolverines (Gulo gulo) are a member of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, stoats, badgers and otters. They are the largest land-dwelling member of the Mustelidae. Wolverines are noted for their great strength and fierce nature, and have the documented ability to kill prey many times their size.
Wolverines are a widespread species, appearing from northern Europe and Siberia through northern North America. They inhabit boreal forests, mountains or open plains and brushlands. In Europe, wolverines can be found in Norway, Sweden, Finland and the European part of Russia. In North America, there have been recent sightings of wolverines in the northwest of the United States, but most wolverines on that continent live in Canada.
The wolverine has a chestnut-brown coat that merges down to dark brown or black legs and tail. A lighter-coloured tan or cream-coloured band runs down either side of the wolverine’s body, and a cream or silvery-gray mask above the eyes is seen in some individuals. It is bear-like in appearance, and is more stocky and solidly-built than most other members of the Mustelidae family. The wolverine has short, stout legs with broad paws and long, sharp claws. It has a compact, rounded head with small eyes, small ears, and extremely strong jaws. Adult male wolverines are up to 30 percent larger than the females, and weigh from 10 – 25 kg (22 – 55 lb.) Like other mustelids, wolverines use their anal scent glands to mark territory and signal others of their species.
Wolverines are mostly nocturnal, meaning active at night. However, they may have some daylight activity. It is believed that they evolved to scavenge from the carcasses of animals killed by other predators. While scavenged food plays an important part in their diet, wolverines also actively hunt animals like rodents, hares, musk deer, roe deer, and other ungulates. They have even been documented killing animals as large as moose! Wolverines have also been known to aggressively harass and steal food from larger predators such as wolves and cougars.
Wolverines are solitary animals, coming together typically only to reproduce. Individual wolverines can have a huge home territory of up to 100 – 500 square km (65 – 300 square miles) for males and 100 – 200 square km (65 – 125 square miles) for females. While a male’s territory might overlap with a female’s, territories of same-sex wolverines almost never overlap.
Wolverines are threatened in the wild mainly by conflict with humans. Many are killed through hunting and trapping. Wolverines are also frequently shot or poisoned because they prey on domesticated livestock, especially sheep, and in some areas, domestic reindeer. Because of these threats, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the wolverine as Near Threatened, meaning that this species is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.
Breeding programme category: EEP
IUCN Red List category: Near Threatened
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