Wolverine
The wolverine (/ˈwʊlvəriːn/ WUUL-və-reen, US also /ˌwʊlvəˈriːn/ WUUL-və-REEN; Gulo gulo; Gulo is Latin for "glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, kwiihkwahaacheew), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The wolverine has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size, with the documented ability to kill prey many times larger than itself.
| Wolverine Temporal range: Pleistocene–recent, | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Genus: | Gulo |
| Species: | G. gulo |
| Binomial name | |
| Gulo gulo | |
| Subspecies | |
|
American wolverine (G. g. luscus) | |
| Wolverine ranges | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Mustela gulo Linnaeus, 1758 | |
The wolverine is found primarily in remote reaches of the Northern boreal forests and subarctic and alpine tundra of the Northern Hemisphere, with the greatest numbers in Northern Canada, the U.S. state of Alaska, the mainland Nordic countries of Europe, and throughout western Russia and Siberia. Its population has steadily declined since the 19th century owing to trapping, range reduction and habitat fragmentation. The wolverine is now essentially absent from the southern end of its range in both Europe and North America.