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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing wolverines. These mammals are the largest living terrestrial mustelids; the sea otter is bigger but it's mostly aquatic! The wolverine looks like a small bear with a fluffy tail or a really, really big ferret. They're light brown to black often with a pale forehead, dark eye patches, and light stripes along their sides. Wolverines are somewhat skunk-like in appearance, as they're classified in the same family, but they're also stinky like skunks! These mammals have five toes in their paw prints which separates them from canines and felines who have only four toes.

Wolverines are a circumpolar species that live entirely in the northern hemisphere. Their historical range once extended as far south as central California, but it has since been reduced. These animals prefer cold places often high in elevation. They're associated with pine forests and remote areas away from humans. Wolverines are generally nocturnal but come out during the day in winter to warm up. They spend their winters at lower elevations, moving down into mountain valleys as the weather turns cold. They may also be following their prey. Wolverines are described as scavengers but this term only encompasses part of their diet. These predators live in association with prey species such as deer as well as other, larger predators such as wolves. Wolverines often take carrion from other predators' killings, but they're capable of bringing down their own meals, as well. Injured or snowbound deer, including moose, succumb to this relatively small mammal.

Male wolverines are larger than females, but ultimately this species is far smaller than their largest prey. They range in size from 2 to 4 feet (61-122 cm) in length, including their tail, and 20 to 40 pounds (9-18 kg) in weight. They have large, snowshoe-like feet that help them cross snowy terrain. In this deep snow, deer have a difficult time treading with their peg-like legs, so they often wear themselves out trying to pass. This leaves them vulnerable to attack from the sure-footed wolverine. Its jaws are strong enough to crush bone and chew through frozen meat, and they also store food in snow where it freezes and stays fresh. Wolverines also opportunistically take berries and smaller prey in the summer months when animals are more abundant. This is also when mating occurs.

Partnership is fast and fizzles out quickly in the wolverine world. Males and females only stay together a few days before parting. They may take multiple partners in a single year. Like cats, the kits in a single litter may all have different fathers! Kits are born in the following spring after a gestation period that lasts about eight months, however, the female is only actively gestating for about 40 days due to delayed implantation in her uterus. There are typically about two or three babies in a wolverine's litter. The kits are born in a deep snow drift den dug out by their mother and moved multiple times before they're weaned. This helps protect them from predators.

Wolverine babies are the most vulnerable to attacks from eagles and other birds of prey. Adult wolverines may be attacked by wolves and mountain lions, but they're capable of defending themselves too. There's one observation of a wolverine killing a bear! Humans are a wolverine's greatest threat. Encroachment into their habitat through recreational activities such as skiing and snowboarding, construction of roads that give coyotes and bobcats access to their deep snow habitats, and trapping them for their frost resistant fur all put pressure on wolverine populations.

In families that survive, the kits remain with their mother until at least their first winter when they reach adult size. They may remain for up to 2 years before they're driven off their mother's land. Males often disperse further than their sisters, with females staying closer to mother's territory. Either way, however, wolverines are capable of moving over 180 miles (300 km) from their birthplace. These are far reaching animals who may move 25 miles (40 km) on average in search of food in just a single day. Wolverines remain near a meal until it's fully consumed and move on to find something fresh. Their territories are more loosely defined and often crossed, although they are still considered solitary outside of the breeding season. They avoid each other with scent marking. Wolverines may live more than a decade in the wild, but this is often an extreme with many averaging only half this age 

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