Wolverine

Wolverine(Gulo gulo)

Phylum —chordata
Class — mammalia
Order — carnivora
Family — mustelidae

Genus – gulo

Appearance

The wolverine is a stocky and muscular animal. With short legs, broad and rounded head, small eyes and short rounded ears, it more closely resembles a bear than it does other mustelids.

The adult wolverine is about the size of a medium dog, with a length usually ranging from 65–107 cm (26–42 in), a tail of 17–26 cm (6.7–10.2 in), and a weight of 5.5–25 kg (12–55 lb). The males are as much as 30% larger than the females and can be twice the females' weight.

Wolverines have thick, dark, oily fur which is highly hydrophobic, making it resistant to frost. A light-silvery facial mask is distinct in some individuals, and a pale buff stripe runs laterally from the shoulders along the side and crossing the rump just above a 25–35 cm (9.8–13.8 in) bushy tail. Some individuals display prominent white hair patches on their throats or chests.

Habitat

Wolverines prefer colder areas and inhabit the Arctic and subarctic, Alpine forests, grasslands, taiga, tundra and boreal forests of Europe, and Asia, and in the north of North America.

Behavior

Wolverines are well-adapted to winter and do not hibernate. They are mostly solitary, except when mating. Like the skunk, wolverines have a strong-smelling secretion called musk, used to warn others to keep out of their territory. They also spray the places they hide their food to discourage others from raiding them. Sometimes active during the day, they are nocturnal animals. Where there are prolonged times of darkness or light, wolverines may have three to four hours of activity and then three to four hours of sleep. They can quickly climb trees and are excellent swimmers.

Diet

Wolverines are omnivores and often eat large game like moose, caribou, and mountain goats; also smaller animals like rodents and ground squirrels, and sometimes birds' eggs and berries. Meat is their favorite and they work hard to get it. Within 24 hours they can travel 15 miles (24 kilometers) in search of food. They will eat carrion too.

Reproduction

Wolverines are polygamous. They mate from May to August. Females then build dens where they will have their young, often caves dug into the snow, sometimes as much as 15 feet deep. Gestation is nearly 2 months and 2 or 3 kits is the usual litter size. Females manage most of the rearing, though males from time to time visit to care for the young. Weaning occurs at 3 months and young start to forage themselves at 5 to 7 months. Wolverines are sexually mature around the age of 2.

In captivity

The typical longevity of a wolverine in captivity is around 15 to 17 years.

While keeping a wolverine, it is necessary to equip an aviary with a minimum area of 16m². In an apartment for this purpose, you need to allocate a large room. In the aviary, you need to install a shelter (booth) and several trees for climbing.

In a zoo for successful breeding of wolverines the conditions must be much more suitable:

For 2-3 wolverines, you need a large enclosure for keeping (500 m²) and walking (about 0.5 ha) for 2-3 animals. Along the perimeter of the selected area, you need to lay a foundation with a depth of 0.7-1.0 m (depending on the quality of the soil) and a width of 30 cm. When filling the foundation, you need to insert metal pillars with a diameter of 70 mm. Attach a metal mesh with a 5x5 cm and a 4-5 mm thick rod to the posts. The height of the grid is 1.7 m from the foundation. Pull the posts together at the top and bottom with corners of 50x50 mm. To corners and columns from above to weld other corners with a slope of 40° inside the enclosure. Around the perimeter from the inside to attach a standard sheet of iron 1.1 m wide. Attach a stern compartment with a gate, an iron roof and an entrance door for the staff to the aviary. The size of the aft compartment is 1,5x1,5 m, height-1.7 m. The aviary and paddock should be equipped with gates for the entrance of the staff  and a gate for the entrance of a truck.

The winter shelter is an artificially dug den at a depth of 1.5 m with supports and an overlap of concrete slabs, equipped with an exit chute. The area of the nest chamber in the den is about 2m². On top of the den, you need to make an earthen mound 1.5 m high. In the shelter, install a video camera and an electric thermometer, which helps you to measure the temperature of the air in the hole and outside. Video information must be registered around the clock by a computer located in a room 25 and 50 m away from the enclosure and the paddock, respectively. Two dens should be located in a large aviary, two-in the paddock. In addition, in the paddock, you need to equip a small summer chopped house (10x10 cm) with a size of 85x85 cm and a height of 75 cm, placed in a hollow and covered with soil. Its two-pitched roof should be covered with a thick cord and covered with soil at the edges, but be easily to remove.

In captivity the wolverine is unpretentious to food: it eats liver, brains, blood, tripe, meat, fish, but especially prefers live or dead flesh (rats, rabbits, chickens). Meat, mostly, should be given in raw form. Out of other feeds, the wolverine eats dry cottage cheese, meat blood meal, fruit, nuts and berries, porridge made of crushed wheat, barley or oatmeal, and milk.