Wolverines are a threatened species in the lower 48 states, with only around 300 living in the wild through Wyoming, Washington, Montana, Idaho and Oregon. Their numbers are much more robust throughout Canada, but there’s still only just around 10,000 adults. As such, any footage of these animals tends to be quite rare. Fortunately Parks Canada just shared some remarkable footage they captured of one eating some bait in quite a unique fashion.
About Wolverines
Wolverines are the largest terrestrial member of the weasel family. They tend to weigh less than 35 pounds, but they’re powerfully built and are highly effective scavengers of carrion. They do not hibernate, instead thriving in winter conditions. Their feet feature large snowshoe-like paws, allowing them to stay on top of deep snow, while their sharp claws work like crampons to help them up and over steep, icy cliffs.
They tend to live between 5-7 years in the wild, breeding in the late spring to late summer and having litters of between 1 and 5 kits. Their diet includes a variety of foods depending on availability. Wolverines primarily scavenge dead animals in the winter and feast on smaller mammals like porcupines, hares, and marmots in the summer. On rare occasions they can take down much larger animals like caribou and moose.
Wolverines face challenges across their range, but in the national parks of Canada their populations are usually three times denser than wilderness areas outside of national parks. Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks act as vital safe havens for these animals. However over 10 years, their populations in these protected areas dropped 39% due to over-harvesting outside of park boundaries, development, and recreation impacts.
In response, Parks Canada staff have been taking advantage of trail cams and eDNA to monitor the wolverines in these parks, working to figure out exactly how the organization can help these animals survive and thrive in years to come.
