THE WOLverine By : LUC AND KADE

TABLE OF CONTENTS Slide 1: Introduction Slide 2: Anatomy/Physical Description Slide 3: Locomotion Slide 4: Diet/Food Chain Slide 5: Habitat Slide 6: Adaptations Slide 7: Life Cycle Slide 8: Species Survival Status Slide 9: Behavior Slide 10: Conclusion Slide 11: Glossary Slide 12: Bibliography

Introduction Do you know all the facts about the wolverine? For example, the University of Michigan’s mascot is the Wolverine an Michigan is called the wolverine state, But no actual wolverines have ever been seen in Michigan. Come join me and I will show you all the exotic and amazing things wolverines do and how they live. The scientific name for the wolverine is the “Gulu Gulu.” There is a café in Salem, Oregon named Gulu Gulu and a city in Uganda named Guu, but no other definitions exist. If you dare, flip to the next slide to begin.

Anatomy/ physical discription Wolverines are the biggest animal of the weasel family and the second largest mustelid. A mustelid is a fur bearng animal that lives near water or on the ground. Even though they are not related to bears, they look like a small bear. Wolverines have long fur with light brown stripes. Big, sharp fangs and claws to help them hunt, eat and fight. The height of a wolverine is about to the knee of an average human. Their fur is long and oily to keep them warm in the cold climate. They have large paw that are like built in snow shoes. They are 3 ½ feet long. The male weighs 55 pounds, the female is 22 pouns and the kit at birth is only 3 ½ ounces. Wolverines have stocky bodies and shot ears. Babies have white or sandy fur that changes with age.

Locomotion Wolverines have frost resistant coats which makes them able to be in the cold. Their snow shoe like feet help them walk and run in the deep snow. They have long claws that help them climb trees to hide their carcasses to eat later. They cross rugged terrains like mountain tops. The wolverine has the ability to travel long distances and can roam large areas. Their area can be as big as 230 square miles. A danger on the trail are wolves, bears, mountain lions and people.

Diet/food chain Wolverines are omnivores. They primarily eat meat. They either hunt or find dead animals that another animal has killed and left. Wolverines hunt smaller animals such as hares and squirrels, as well as ground birds such as capercaillies and ptarmigan in the winter. Prey that are small are usually eaten in one sitting. Their stomachs are too small to eat larger prey in a single sitting. Instead, wolverines will hide larger prey and come back to it when they are hungry. They hide their carrion in tree holes and under the snow. When hungry, some eat berries and nuts. Wolverines are almost always hungry. Their nickname is glutton.

Habitat The wolverine’s habitat is from north of the Artic Circle to as far south as the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Wolverines also live in parts of Europe and Asia. They like both woods and tundras. Tundras are cold, treeless plains. In North America they live in Canada, Alaska and some parts of Montana and Idaho. Few have been found in California and Nevada. Wolverines spend most of their time in high elevations near or above the timberline. In the winter, they prefer the woods and the summer they migrate to the tundra to prey on larger animals. In Nevada, wolverines would typically be found in the mountains between Caron City and Reno.

Adaptations Wolverines stink! Why, you may ask? The wolverines have stink spray to keep other animals away from their food. They will spray it on and around their food and no on will go near it. The wolverine has oily fur. This helps in the cold and snow to keep them warm. The wolverine has wider feet than a wolf or fox. These wide feet are used like snow shoes to help them walk in the deep snow. Their claws are long o they can climb trees to hide themselves or their food.

Life cycle Their life cycle goes like this: newborn (kits), young adults, and the grownups. The mother will burrow into the snow up to 5 ft. when pregnant. The wolverine mother gives birth to 2-4 kits. Kits stay with mom or over 1 year. Mom will have litters every two years. The wolverine father is involved with his family and has contact with his wolverine children often. Wolverines live up to 17 years. They usually do not do well in zoos. Wolverines may not live in Michigan forests, but they do live at the Detroit Zoo. On February 25, 2005, Aggie gave birth to two wolverine kits. The kits, named Tamarack and Tilia, are the only surviving litter born at a North American Zoo.

Species survival status The last review, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service wanted to make the wolverine and endangered species. The cause of this is climate change in their alpine habitats. As the habitat gets warmer, they migrate to a colder environment.

Behavior The wolverine is not a hibernator. They are well adapted to the cold winter environment with big fur and snow shoe like feet. The wolverine has a keen sense of smell and strong teeth. An interesting fact is their cousin is the Tasmanian devil. They also have small eats. Wolverines can travel great distances; up to 18 miles in one day! They get angry when caught in a trap.

Conclusion In our journey, we have learned so much about wolverines. We learned that they live mostly in the tundra above the tree line Wolverines eat meat that another animal has killed. Wolverines stink just like skunks! I was amazed that wolverines can walk up to 18 miles in one day. I didn’t know that wolverines eat berries. If you were still wondering, the Michigan nickname came about from a fight over land ownership between Ohio and Michigan. Ohio seemed to think that people from Michigan were ornery. Wolverines can be ornery and people Ohio began to call people from Michigan wolverines.

Glossary Carcass: the flesh of a dead animal. Carnivore: flesh eating. Carrion: the flesh of a dead animal. Glutton: an animal that eats fast and a lot. Hibernation: when an animal sleeps through the winter. Home Range: the area for an animal’s home. Keen: highly developed. Mustelid: A fur bearing animal that lives near water or on the ground. Omnivore: one who eats meat and plants. Ornery: stubborn Taiga: a tree filled area like a forest. Tundra: a treeless plain.

Defenders of Wildlife. www. defenders. org/wolverine/basic-facts Defenders of Wildlife. www.defenders.org/wolverine/basic-facts. 2013 www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/wolverine/. Last updated October 30, 2013 http://absolutemichigan.com/Michigan/why-we-are-called-the-wolverine-state/. September 16, 2005 World Book, 2010. Chicago, Illinois: World Book, Inc. 2010 pages 379-380 Raymond Hall. Mammals of Nevada. Third Edition. Reno, Nevada: University of Nevada Press, 1995. Stephanie Driver. Exploring Mammals. First Edition. Tarrytown, New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2008 Don Wilson, Sue Ruff. The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals. Washington D.C.: The Smithsonian Institution, 1999. Bibliography