The wolverine is the largest member of the mustelid family (otters, weasels, etc.) in North America.  This squat, powerfully-muscled animal resembles a small, flattened bear.  Wolverines are dark brown with a light grayish forehead and a pale stripe running from the shoulders along each side and crossing the rump.  The wolverine’s dense fur, with long guard hairs that do not ice up in winter, is highly prized for trimming parkas.  Their large paws help them move on top of crusted snow.  A wolverine has a dark bushy tail, a broad rounded head, small eyes and ears.  Males average 1.2 meters in length and 0.5  meters in height at the shoulder.  An average male weighs about 15 kilograms.  Females are smaller, averaging about 0.9 metres in length and weighing about 10 kilograms.

Distribution

Historically, wolverines ranged throughout most of North America.  However, by the early 1900s they were virtually eliminated from the United States and have now disappeared from most of eastern and south central Canada.  Today, wolverines in Canada are only found in northern boreal forest and tundra.  They have disappeared from southern Quebec and much of the southern portions of Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan.  Wolverines are still found throughout the NWT, British Columbia and Alaska.

NOTE: Click on map for full view. Distributions are approximate and not intended for legal use. (JPG = 1995 KB)

Population Size and Trends

Little is known about wolverine populations in Canada today.  Even less is known about historical populations.  Wolverines do not thrive near human settlements.  As agriculture, industrial development and settlements have replaced wilderness, wolverine numbers and range have decreased.  Population numbers for the NWT are unknown.  However, estimates suggest there is a stable but sparsely distributed population numbering in the thousands.

Wolverines live in a variety of habitats as long as there is enough game and carrion to supply food.  A wolverine's home range is large, generally covering several hundred square kilometres of tundra, with an adult male typically using an area several times larger than an adult female.  Dispersing yearlings can typically cover over 1000 km².  Wolverines use different parts of their home range at different times of the year.

Wolverines do not have many young.  Mating season is from May to July.  The fertilized eggs are stored and implanted in the womb in January if the female is healthy.  Two to three kits are born in February or March.  Because females breed every two years, have small litters, and kits suffer high mortality, female wolverines raise, on average, fewer than one kit per year during their lifetime.  Wolverines do not hibernate but they do construct dens.  Dens are used to escape predators and for raising kits.  Wolverines feed mainly on large game animals like caribou.  However, the wolverine is more a scavenger than a hunter and will travel long distances in search of carrion or food caches.  They also feed on small animals, ptarmigan, fish, roots and berries.

The elimination of wilderness has been a major factor in the decline of wolverine populations.  Intensive human hunting of game animals, and an increase in pelt prices have also contributed to the decrease.  The fate of the wolverine is closely linked to that of large game animals on its home range.  If game disappears, the wolverine will soon follow.  In the NWT, wolverines have not been affected by loss of prey.  However, harvesting pressure on NWT wolverines has been increasing.  In some northern communities, the price for a wolverine pelt has risen as high as $500.   The use of snowmachines has made it easier to hunt and trap wolverines.  Mineral exploration on the central barrens may also cause problems for the wolverine.  With exploration and development comes increased access that creates greater opportunities to hunt and trap.  This may lead to a population decrease.

COSEWIC designated the wolverine as Vulnerable in 1989 because of naturally occurring low numbers and the devastation human activities can have on habitat.  Currently the wolverine is protected from hunting and trapping in Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador.  The wolverine receives no special protection in the NWT.

Several studies are currently underway in the NWT to collect information on the age classes, sex ratio, home ranges and harvest patterns of wolverine on the tundra.  Information will also be gathered from hunters and trappers on the domestic use of wolverine pelts.  This will help provide a more accurate picture of the total NWT harvest.

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       Site last updated Tuesday, February 19, 2008