“…and today we’re talking about an animal so cool, they named an X-man after it.”
It takes a tenacious heart to survive in the Yukon and other high latitude places. Food is a reward for the brave and the bold when temperatures drop below zero. The wolverine is a small creature with a big appetite and an even bigger attitude. But it’s not the size of the wolverine in the fight but the size of the fight in the wolverine that matters in Life Death and Taxonomy.
Measure Up
Wolverines are 26 to 34 inches (excluding tail).
The Alaskan king salmon, also known as Chinook salmon, is the largest species of Pacific salmon and is prized for its size, strength, and rich flavor. True or false–the Alaskan King Salmon is around the same length as a Wolverine.
Wolverines weigh 20 to 55 lbs (males larger than females).
Tlingit bentwood chests are crafted by the Tlingit people of Southeast Alaska. Master artisans craft them from a single plank of red or yellow cedar and used to store ceremonial regalia, food, blankets, or even in burial. True or False–two Tlingit boxes weigh the same as a Wolverine.
Major Fact: The Boom and Bust Weasel
Wolverines are built for boom and bust scenarios. They live in cold, remote regions where food is unpredictable, especially in winter. Their appetite and behavior evolved to exploit rare opportunities.
- A wolverine may consume 20–30% of its body weight in a single feeding
- They can go days without food, then gorge when something is available
- Their metabolism supports extreme binge feeding, not constant eating
Specialized for Carrion
Wolverines are among the best cold-climate scavengers. They have exceptionally strong jaws can crush frozen meat and bones. They can open carcasses that foxes, coyotes, or birds cannot. They often rely on kills made by wolves or bears, especially in winter.
They frequently cache food, dragging chunks away and storing them under snow where the cold preserves it for weeks or even months.
Despite legends, wolverines do not regularly hunt large animals, but they can kill prey much larger than themselves under the right conditions.
What Counts as “Large”?
Wolverines (20–55 lbs) have been documented killing:
- Adult reindeer/caribou
- Moose calves
- Deer
These events are uncommon and highly situational.
How do Wolverines Bring Down Large Prey?
When wolverines manage to bring down large prey, they rely less on raw strength and more on environmental advantage and persistence. In deep, soft snow, their wide paws function like snowshoes, allowing them to move efficiently while long-legged ungulates sink, struggle, and tire quickly.
The wolverine exploits this by relentlessly harassing and pursuing the animal until exhaustion sets in. Rather than targeting healthy adults, they focus on vulnerable individuals—those that are injured, starving, very young, or trapped by snow, ice, or steep terrain—making the encounter one of opportunistic efficiency rather than brute force.
Once close enough, the wolverine attacks the throat, neck, or face, using its powerful jaws to crush the trachea or cervical vertebrae, and is notorious for its tenacity, often refusing to let go until the animal is incapacitated.
Stealing from Giants (Kleptoparasitism)
One of the wolverine’s most remarkable abilities is not killing prey but taking it from others. Wolverines are known to displace wolves, lynx, and even bears from their kills through a combination of aggressive displays, relentless harassment, and an extraordinary willingness to confront animals far larger than themselves. Their success in these encounters is aided by thick skin, dense fur, and a high tolerance for pain, which make them difficult to injure quickly and allow them to persist until competitors retreat.
Why They Can Punch Above Their Weight
Several adaptations make this possible:
- Jaw strength: Among the highest bite-force-to-body-size ratios of land mammals
- Muscular neck & shoulders: Built for dragging heavy carcasses
- High endurance: Can travel 15–25 miles in a day
- Fearless temperament: They escalate rather than retreat