Wolverine is the rightful mistress of the taiga. Animal Wolverine: symbol of ferocity and endurance

Many of us imagine the wolverine as a large animal with long clawed paws, which moves very quickly and poses a serious danger to both humans and animals. livestock. But in fact, the wolverine animal is not so frightening, albeit very ferocious. Let's talk where this representative of the mustelid family lives, what characterizes its behavior and way of life.

Lifestyle

This is not to say that the wolverine is an endangered species. However, not every hunter is lucky enough to see this animal. Mostly because the beast leads a reclusive lifestyle. He prefers to go hunting at dusk. Although sometimes hunger takes its toll, and the wolverine goes looking for prey during the day.

Creates burrows for itself in rocky areas, under roots. big trees and in other secluded corners. In general, the wolverine animal is essentially a hermit who spends his entire life alone. The main goal is to protect their own borders from other representatives of mustelids. Typically, the territory of an adult male is 1,500-2,000 square kilometers. It is also interesting that this is a real orderly, clearing the area of ​​sick and weak animals. In general, diet doesn’t really matter. The main thing is to have more meat. Wolverine loves hazel grouse and other birds; it rarely hunts ungulates, but can kill prey 5 times its size. But at the same time there must be a large snow cover, where the victim will quickly get stuck.

The animal wolverine is an ideal hunter

It says a lot about the hunting skills of this animal. Powerful claws, jaw, agility - all this allows the wolverine to quickly and effectively detect and kill its prey. The animal is very voracious and useless, or so it was previously thought. But fur is very valuable for the simple reason that in deep frost it does not freeze. But it is very difficult to get it, since the wolverine animal prefers to avoid humans.

There are known cases when this representative of the mustelid family took prey from a pack of wolves and lynxes. Even adult bears prefer to avoid the wolverine due to the ferocity of the animal. Another hunting quality of the wolverine is tree climbing. This is how the animal obtains bird eggs in the summer, which is what it actually eats. It is not surprising that adults have no enemies, since the animal can fend for itself very well. Young wolverines suffer the most from pumas, lynxes and wolves.

Conclusion

An interesting fact is that males and females come together for only two weeks during the breeding season. Young wolverines stay with their mother for several years. They learn to hunt and stealth. It is worth noting that if a person takes little cub wolverine, then he becomes completely domestic. There is practically no trace left of yesterday's ferocity of this predator. Perhaps because the wolverine - the animal whose photo you can see in this article - does not experience a constant feeling of hunger and does not defend its territory. In captivity, unfortunately, they do not reproduce, but they live an order of magnitude longer. If in wildlife This is 10 years, then next to the person is 15-17 years old. That's all that can be said about who Wolverine is. The animal, the photo of which is in this article, is really quite amazing and interesting. Perhaps because the animal is the same hunter as a person, which is why it is so difficult to catch it.

Wolverine (in English: Wolverine, in lat. Gulo gulo) ― carnivorous mammal, which belongs to the weasel family. The name of this animal is Latin language translated as “glutton”, and from Norwegian as “mountain whale”.

The habitats of wolverines are forest-tundra, taiga, and sometimes tundra. They live in North America, Eurasia, and are found in the Baltic states, Poland, and Finland. In Russia, individuals can most often be found on Far East, in Siberia, but their habitats are also Novgorod and Pskov regions, the Kola Peninsula, and Karelia.

Wolverine is an animal that is different large sizes. The body length varies from 70 to 86 cm, and the tail grows to 18-23 cm. The wolverine weighs 9-30 kg, with females slightly smaller than males.

Wolverine looks like large badger or a small bear - she has a clumsy, squat body, her hind legs are longer than her front ones. The feet are wide, with a length of 10 cm, they have a width of 9 cm. The muzzle of the animal is elongated, the tail is fluffy.

When walking, the animal steps on the entire foot, so the gait of a wolverine is the same as that of a bear, clubfoot. The wolverine's fur is thick, coarse, and has long hair. Brown-black fur or Brown. From the top of the head, along the shoulders, to the croup there is a stripe of golden or yellow color. The animal's teeth are sharp and powerful.

Wolverines are divided into 2 subspecies - European and North American.

These animals lead night image life, they sleep during the day, and go hunting at dusk.

Wolverines desperately defend the boundaries of their territory if they are violated by an individual of the same sex. They settle in rock crevices, under uprooted tree roots and in other similar places.

They often change their roosting location in search of prey. But at the same time they try not to go beyond the boundaries of their personal plot, which sometimes extends to 2000 square meters. km. Wolverines have excellent hearing, sense of smell, and acute vision. The animal has long claws and powerful paws, so it is easy for it to climb trees.

Since wolverines are predators, their diet mainly consists of animal food. They feed on mouse-like rodents, hazel grouse, black grouse, and sometimes what is left from the hunt of bears and wolves. If the animal has nothing to eat, it can attack the wolf itself (but this happens rarely) or recapture their prey from him or the lynx.

Sometimes wolverines hunt large ungulates; wounded, sick or young animals become their prey. Wolverine can kill an animal that is 5 times taller than itself! But this happens mainly in winter. High snow cover makes it difficult for animals to move; wolverines take advantage of this and attack their potential prey. These predators are capable for a long time pursue prey, as they are distinguished by endurance.

In summer, wolverine is not averse to eating honey, berries, wasp larvae, bird eggs, and lemmings (rodents). Like the bear, the wolverine fishes during spawning or near wormwood. Moreover, she eats not only fresh fish, but does not disdain already dried fish.

Wolverines hunt birds not only when they are on the ground, but also in nests, since these animals, despite their external clumsiness, perfectly climb trees and cling to trunks and thick branches.

Even a bear tries to avoid an angry and aggressive animal if it meets a wolverine. She can drive the bear away from his own prey and take the trophy for herself.

Although these animals hunt well, they prefer to save energy and, if possible, eat carrion. In this they are also similar to bears.

During the mating season, rassokhas stop leading a solitary lifestyle. The mating season for these animals lasts from April to October, but the most intense breeding season occurs in April - June.

At this time, individuals are intensively looking for a partner. Sometimes animals mate several times in a row. The initial stage of pregnancy in wolverines is very interesting. This period is called the open stage. In almost all other animals, the fertilized egg attaches to the wall of the uterus and begins to rapidly divide and develop here. In wolverines, it moves freely in the uterus for some time without developing. This latent stage allows wolverine cubs to be born at the most appropriate time of year - January - April. This usually happens once every 2 years.

The female is preparing to give birth. To do this, she prepares a long, spacious lair in a hollow tree, under a rock or in a snowdrift, and buries food for herself next to it. Usually 2-3 babies are born, but sometimes up to five. They are born blind, but covered with thick fur, so they do not freeze in the cold, and their mother warms them with her warmth. She extremely rarely leaves the den within 2-3 weeks after giving birth, since during this period she intensively feeds the babies with her milk and protects them. She herself feeds on what she brought as trophies to the den even before giving birth.

After three weeks, she begins to go far to hunt small animals and birds, which she brings to her puppies. When they are 8-10 weeks old, the mother begins to take them out of the den and teaches them to hunt on their own.

When deciding to get a wolverine, do not forget that wolverines are quite large predators. It’s even scary to imagine what they can do if a person offends them or behaves in a way that angers the beast.

It is believed that if you take an animal in infancy, it can be tamed. But, of course, wolverines need to be kept in cages and released to roam in a fenced enclosure, observing all safety rules. However, it is better to leave the maintenance and taming of wolverines to professional zoologists who are well aware of all the intricacies of this difficult task, will be able to properly feed the animal and provide the individual with the necessary food for it. full life space.

Wolverines have another interesting property that makes them difficult to keep at home. Like skunks, when in danger or fear, wolverines can release a foul-smelling stream. Experienced hunters say that if this stream hits hunting dogs, they may lose the sharpness of their senses. If a wolverine marks a person with this secretion, the smell can last up to ten days.

Therefore, it is better to watch this animal on TV screens, in the zoo - it is much safer than deciding to buy an animal for your home.

Description, appearance of wolverine

Both the family and the subfamily, which includes the predator, are called the same - “mustelids”. Only the sea otter is larger than the wolverine (among its close relatives). The size of a wolverine resembles large dog, in appearance - a badger or a bear with a fluffy, moderately long (18-23 cm) tail. An adult animal grows to 70-85 cm with a weight of 10-14 kg (female) and 13-17 kg (male). The largest specimens can pull 20 kg.

On big head neat rounded ears are noticeable, the muzzle resembles a bear's. The eyes, like the nose, are black. The squat, dense body is set on short, thick limbs, with the front ones being shorter than the rear ones, visually raising the back of the body, which is why it appears slightly hunched over.

The wolverine is distinguished by its huge five-toed, almost square feet (10 cm length, 9 cm width): such a “sole”, reinforced with hooked claws, helps the animal easily overcome deep snowy areas. When moving, the plantigrade predator clearly has a clubfoot, as it places its paw resting on the entire foot.

Summer fur is too short to add charm to the wolverine, hiding its disproportionately large skull and legs: at this time of year it looks especially ridiculous. The wolverine becomes prettier in the cold, growing a thick coat of dark brown/black coloring, diluted with a wide, lighter stripe on the sides.

This is interesting! The shaggy coat hides strong bones. There is one more feature that makes it similar to the bear: like him, the wolverine only seems clumsy. She easily controls her strong body, showing the enemy a lightning-fast reaction.

Range and subspecies

The animal's habitat extends across the forest-steppe, taiga and tundra zones of Eurasia and North America. In Europe, it is found in the north of the Scandinavian Peninsula, in Finland, the Baltic countries, and less often in Belarus and Poland.

On the territory of Russia, the wolverine is a common inhabitant of Siberia and the Far Eastern region, and also lives in the Tver, Leningrad, Novgorod regions, Karelia, the Komi Republic and Kamchatka.

The modern classification identifies 6 subspecies of wolverine, 4 of which live in Russia:

• European wolverine(lat. Gulo gulo gulo) - a subspecies of large animals with a predominance of individuals colored in dark color. The light stripe stands out weakly and does not merge on the shoulder blades. Found in northeastern Europe and throughout the Scandinavian Peninsula;
• Siberian wolverine lat. Gulo gulo sibiricus) is distinguished by its smallest size and a pronounced narrow strip of light fur, which goes down almost to the middle of the tail. The range runs along the western slopes Ural mountains, through the territory of Siberia to the Yenisei River and further, to the south, to Altai and Kazakhstan;
• Yakut wolverine(lat. Gulo gulo jacutensis) is slightly larger than its Siberian counterpart, and is also colored in the south and west of its range. The eastern part of the population is distinguished by a wide strip of light fur. The border of the range runs along the right bank of the Yenisei River, and in the south it goes to Mongolia and northeast China;
• northeastern wolverine(lat. Gulo gulo albus) is a large representative of the species with a predominance of very light-colored individuals. The light stripe of fur running along the sides is so wide that it leaves only a small dark spot on the back. Lives in Kamchatka and North-Eastern Siberia to the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

Lifestyle and habits

Wolverine is a solitary animal, they live at a great distance from each other and jealously guard their territory from attacks by strangers. The home range of one individual can extend over a distance of up to two thousand square kilometers. Marks its territory with secretions from the anal glands. She is well oriented in her area, uses animal trails for movement and sometimes arranges ambushes in trees.

The wolverine animal, although not very fast, is very hardy. He loves to wander around his lands and can easily walk up to 30 km per day. This animal climbs trees well and swims well, has excellent hearing and excellent vision.

Wolverine - what kind of animal is this? This is a very cautious, cunning, strong and aggressive animal with excellent sense of smell.

Moves slightly sideways, with a slight gallop and a slight stoop. It does not have a permanent shelter; it constantly moves around its territory, mainly in the dark. And only during the period of feeding her cubs can she be seen during the day. After the hunt, it takes refuge under trees, on hills or under rocky overhangs. In extreme cold, it digs small holes in the snow.

Only the female sets up a permanent den for breeding. Usually these are dens in the roots of trees. In mountainous areas, it chooses rock crevices and small caves for dens.

Hunting and food

Wolverine is a nocturnal animal. During the day she sleeps in a hole among stones or under a snag, and in the evening she goes out hunting. She can navigate perfectly in the dark thanks to her acute hearing and vision. Smelling prey, the animal silently creeps up from behind, and attacks large animals from above, from a tree or rock. One throw - and his powerful jaws with huge teeth tightly cling to the carotid artery.

Wolverine successfully catches white hares, mice, voles, pikas, as well as grouse, hazel grouse and other birds. During fish spawning, this huge marten willingly picks up dead chum and pink salmon. In summer, the wolverine eats various insects, berries, and pine nuts.

The wolverine also hunts ungulates - in particular deer. Its victims are usually young calves, wounded or sick animals. Wolverines are incredibly resilient and, moreover, during the pursuit they never leave the target, even if they see another animal aside. In search of prey, they can run up to forty kilometers a day. Having tracked the herd and identified the victim, the predator chases it until it stops, exhausted. Wolverine, on occasion, takes prey from weaker animals - foxes, sables, otters, and sometimes can even compete with a lynx for a caught hare.

Wolverine is one of the most ferocious predators on Earth. She knows no fear and can attack an animal that is much larger than herself, or a person.

Wolverine is omnivorous. Constantly walking around his huge individual area, the wolverine picks up carrion on it. She eats the remains of her prey large predators- a wolf, a bear, and in Primorye, a tiger.

Often this daring predator ruins the winter quarters of hunters and steals their prey from traps. The animal hides its uneaten prey as a reserve.

Reproduction

They live apart. They are found at the beginning of the mating season, in spring and early summer. Males compete for the right to possess a female. They engage in fights to the death. The couple has been living together for about a month. The male then leaves to return briefly when the babies appear.

Wolverines are characterized by the so-called. latent pregnancy. The fertilized egg is delayed in development for some time (from several weeks to several months). The mechanism of embryo development starts in all females at the same time.

Therefore, despite different terms conception, babies are born in the same period (February-March).

The female cares little about arranging a comfortable den. Cubs can be born among a pile of stones or tree roots. In one litter 2–3 kids.

Stages of growing up:

1. at birth, very tiny 70–100 g, blind, defenseless. The mother actively feeds them with milk, and the young quickly gain weight;
2. by the first month they already reach 400 g and open their eyes. They switch from a dairy diet to a meat diet. During this period, the returning male provides great assistance. He brings food for the female. The mother feeds the babies half-digested meat;
3. By three months they have grown and weigh 3 kg. With the onset of warm weather, the female and her offspring begin to lead a nomadic lifestyle. Mother teaches young wolverines hunting skills;
4. By autumn, the cubs become completely independent, but continue to live with their mother until they are 2 years old. Then the female drives them away, and the young disperse in search of their own hunting territory. At the same time they reach sexual maturity.

Wolverine's enemies

The wolverine has no special and obvious enemies - its teeth are strong, and it doesn’t lack strength. To a certain extent, her enemies include the wolf, who may try to attack the wolverine, but only once in her life, and only due to inexperience. Bears, lynxes and foxes pose a danger only to young animals.

The wolverine, like all members of the family, has anal glands that secrete a secretion with a very strong and unpleasant odor. This is the animal’s main “weapon” against enemies, which not only protects it from other predators, but also gives our heroine such impudence that she often takes prey from the lynx. The latter, distinguished by cleanliness and disgust, apparently prefers not to get involved with impudent and unpleasant-smelling animals.

Saving a view

Wolverines are a vulnerable species throughout much of their range, with some populations endangered. The general trend is a reduction in range and decline in numbers. Only in some places in North America the number of these animals does not cause concern.

Wolverines are hunted and caught in traps. They became especially vulnerable when high-speed snowmobiles were used in the hunting process.

1. The wolverine's body is covered with brownish-black fur with light brown stripes running along the sides. The fur is long, thick, and waterproof, which allows the wolverine to withstand harsh conditions. weather its habitat.
2. This animal has a stocky build, a short tail, a large head and small ears. The paws have pads and large claws that help the wolverine walk in the snow.
3. Wolverines are loners, but they need a lot of space to roam. Wolverines travel 15-20 kilometers per day, searching for food. Some individuals travel 70 kilometers.
4. For food, wolverines attack caribou herds and also feed on corpses left by predators. Due to their need for extensive habitat, wolverines can be found in remote places tundra, taiga, and also in arctic forests. They prefer areas uninhabited by people.
5. Wolverines are distinguished by their innate curiosity, courage and cruelty, as well as omnivory. In the summer they eat berries, all kinds of plants and edible roots, which make up only a small part of their diet. Being predators, wolverines travel long distances in search of their main dish - meat.
6. Rodents and rabbits are the main and easy prey for wolverines. However, if given the opportunity, they will also attack large animals such as deer and caribou. And as mentioned above, they do not disdain the corpses of animals left behind by other predators. Eating carrion allows wolverines to survive winter when food is scarce. Wolverines also tear through the snow in search of wintering animals.
7. Wolverine skillfully climbs trees and swims well. This is an energetic animal that can walk long distances without stopping to rest.
8. This is a nocturnal animal. However, if necessary, she can change her sleep and wake patterns. Like bears in wolverine poor vision However, hearing and smell are very good.
9. Males mark their territory with a special smell, and sometimes they also mark food supplies. Males are inherently polygamous, so they share their territory with several females. Although wolverines are solitary, members of the same family can play together.
10. Females dig holes to give birth to cubs, of which there are usually two or three in one litter, or in early spring, or late winter. The cubs remain with their mother until they are two years old, when they reach sexual maturity to produce their own offspring.

Video

Wolverine (G. gulo L., 1758) - resident northern forests, forest-tundra and tundra.

Wolverine animal, which people have endowed with mythical properties and created many legends about it. North American Indians and " forest people In the Yenisei taiga they consider this animal sacred, show respect and do not hunt it.

And the Sami, the people inhabiting the Kola Peninsula, personify the wolverine with demonic powers. In Chukotka they call the animal Yeti, because it appears from nowhere and goes in an unknown direction.

Features and habitat of the wolverine

Wolverine belongs to the mustelidae family and at the same time resembles a small one. The indigenous peoples of Scandinavia believed that some babies remain small and these are wolverines.

Some similarities of this beast can be seen with, but Wolverine is a separate species of animal. Giant sea otters and sea otters have larger sizes than the wolverine, but they are semi-aquatic representatives of this family, so the palm can be confidently given to this animal.

Male and female wolverines are practically no different from each other. The animal can reach 1 meter in length. The tail is up to 20 cm. On the small head there are small rounded ears, practically devoid of hair. The wolverine's height is up to 50 cm, its body is short.

The peoples of Scandinavia believed that some bear cubs do not grow up and remain babies for life - these are wolverines

The paws are long and wide, which creates a feeling of disproportion. The membranes on the limbs and their structure allow the animal to freely make its way through deep snow, where the path for lynx, fox, wolf and other animals is closed. The animal moves clumsily, but has incredible dexterity.

The ribcage is different for each individual and is as unique as a person's fingerprints. Huge claws on its paws allow the predator to excellently climb trees and even descend from them upside down, although the animal prefers to lead a terrestrial lifestyle. This animal is also an excellent swimmer.

Powerful jaws and sharp teeth enable the animal to quickly deal with its opponent and gnaw its large bones. When hunting for prey, a wolverine can reach speeds of up to 50 km per hour and run for a long time without stopping. This animal is considered the strongest in its weight category. Indeed, with a weight of about 13 kg, the wolverine can defend itself against a pack.

Thick, coarse and long brown fur covers the body of the predator in winter; in summer it becomes shorter. On the sides there are stripes that can be white, gray or yellow. The thermal insulation of the “fur coat” is so great that it prevents the snow from melting underneath it.

The wolverine's habitat is flat and low-mountain taiga in northern forests and forest-tundra of Asia, North America and Europe. However, the animal does not really like very coldy and prefers to live where deep snow lies on the surface of the earth for a long time, since this makes it possible not to fall into it, which makes hunting easier. In some countries, the animal is protected and hunting for it is limited.

The character and lifestyle of the wolverine

About the animal wolverine It is quite difficult to collect information, because it leads a rather hidden lifestyle and is the most unstudied predator in the whole world. This beast is very difficult to both photograph and simply see. The animal prefers a solitary life. Several individuals are very rarely found in one territory.

The controlled territory of one male, which he will definitely mark, can be up to several thousand kilometers. The animal moves around its territory in search of food and from time to time goes around all its possessions. In a few months, an animal can cover hundreds of kilometers.

Stops in the places where it is large quantity artiodactyls. In times of famine, wolverines can be found far from their range. The animal makes its home under the roots of trees, in rock gorges and other secluded places. It goes out in search of food in the evening.

Wolverine is excellent at climbing trees

A brave and daring animal does not lose its dignity even in front of an enemy that is superior to it, including with. When scaring away their competitors for food, they begin to bare their teeth or growl hoarsely. Relatives communicate with each other using sounds reminiscent of the barking of foxes, only ruder.

A cautious wolverine almost always avoids an attack or a bear. More enemies this beast has not. The most great danger- this is hunger from which one dies a large number of individuals.

The wolverine is not afraid of humans, but prefers to avoid them. As soon as it begins on the animal's property economic activity, it changes its habitat. There are cases of predator attacks on people.

Residents of the tundra warn about the danger for a person who finds himself in wolverine animal world and they warn that you cannot stop, otherwise you can become his food.

Wolverine cubs are easily tamed, they are not aggressive and literally become tame. However, these animals can be seen very rarely in the circus and zoo, since they cannot get along in places where there are a lot of people.

Wolverine nutrition

Wolverine is certainly a predator and can move many tens of kilometers in search of meat. However, in summer period it can feed on berries, roots, some plants, and bird eggs.

She also loves honey, catches, and feasts on small animals (,). But this animal’s favorite food is ungulates. The predator can defeat fairly large animals, such as, but most often attacks young, sick or weakened animals.

Being an excellent hunter, the wolverine ambushes and watches for its prey in a secluded place. Wolverine animal attack is sudden in nature, and the attacker makes every effort to fight for food, the victim is torn apart by sharp claws and teeth.

If the prey manages to escape, the predator begins to pursue it. The wolverine does not run very fast, but it has great endurance and simply “wears out” another animal.

In its territory, the animal is mainly located next to grazing ungulates and from time to time moves from one herd to another or follows them. It is very rare to observe wolverines hunting in groups.

Wolverine eats more carrion than any other predator.

If possible, food is taken from another predator: lynx or. The wolverine's amazing sense of smell allows it to find and dig up dead fish from under a thick layer of snow and sense the blood of a wounded animal over long distances.

It is generally accepted that he is the chief orderly of the forest, however, this opinion is erroneous. Wolverine destroys more carrion than other forest inhabitants. It feeds on animals that have fallen into traps, corpses and food remains of larger predators.

A predator can eat a large amount of meat at one time, but will not forget to make a reserve. Food buried under the snow or hidden in a secluded place will help you survive in difficult times.

Reproduction and lifespan of wolverine

Wolverines do not strictly maintain their territoriality, but this rule does not apply during the mating season. During mating, animals carefully mark the boundaries of their territory and can only share them with females.

For males, the breeding season occurs once a year, for females - once every two years and lasts from mid-spring to early summer, sometimes longer. Cubs are born at the end of winter, beginning of spring, regardless of the time of conception.

Pictured is a baby wolverine

The thing is that the egg can be in the female’s body and not develop until the onset of pregnancy. favorable conditions for the development and birth of the fetus. Direct intrauterine development of wolverines lasts a month to a month and a half.

Completely helpless, blind, with small gray fur, weighing 100g, wolverines give birth to 3-4 puppies in dens or specially dug underground tunnels. They begin to see after a month.

For several months they eat their mother’s milk, then semi-digested meat, and only after six months they begin to learn to hunt on their own. The mother and her offspring are in the period next winter. At this time, lessons are held on hunting large specimens of ungulates.

In the spring, babies grow up and leave their mother; some leave even after reaching two years of age, when they reach puberty. Male and female wolverines spend together only during the fertilization period, which lasts several weeks.

Structure chest wolverines are unique, like human fingerprints

However, dad does not forget about the kids and from time to time brings them food. A male can have several families and help everyone as much as possible. In the wild, wolverines live up to 10 years; in captivity, this period can increase to 16–17.

Description of the wolverine animal can last for a very long time, but scientists cannot fully study it. However, we can say with certainty that this is a very smart, strong, cunning and aggressive animal on whose path it is better not to meet.