Wolverine

Wolverine Temporal range: Pleistocene–recent, 2.588–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ [1]
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[2] (Global)
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[3] (Europe)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Mustelidae
Genus:	Gulo
Species:	G. gulo
Binomial name
Gulo gulo (Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies
American wolverine (G. g. luscus) Eurasian wolverine (G. g. gulo)
Wolverine ranges
Synonyms
Mustela gulo Linnaeus, 1758 Ursus luscus Linnaeus, 1758

The wolverine (/ˈwʊlvəriːn/ WUUL-və-reen, US also /ˌwʊlvəˈriːn/ WUUL-və-REEN;^[4] Gulo gulo), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, kwiihkwahaacheew), is the largest land-dwelling member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal.^[2] The wolverine has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size, with the documented ability to kill prey many times larger than itself.

The wolverine is found primarily in remote reaches of the Northern boreal forests and subarctic and alpine tundra of the Northern Hemisphere, with the greatest numbers in Northern Canada, the U.S. state of Alaska, the mainland Nordic countries of Europe, and throughout western Russia and Siberia. Its population has steadily declined since the 19th century owing to trapping, range reduction and habitat fragmentation. The wolverine is now essentially absent from the southern end of its range in both Europe and North America.