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The Wolverine Trivia Quiz

All about the largest land-dwelling member of the mustelid family!

A multiple-choice quiz by crisw. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
crisw

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
228,654

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
962

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The scientific name for the wolverine is Gulo gulo. What does this name mean? Hint

Taken from the Gwich'in word for "wolverine"

A double reference to the light patch on the wolverine's throat (gullet)

Gluttonous glutton

An onomatopoetic reference to the sound a wolverine makes

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Question 2 of 10

2. What does a wolverine look like? Hint

About the size of a beagle, with long, dense, brown fur. A tan stripe runs over the shoulders and along the flanks.

About the size of a wolf, with light-brown dense hair tipped with a gold color like a grizzly.

About the size of a Labrador retriever, with long, dark-brown hair and white spots on the paws and the tip of the tail.

Long adamantium claws, slicked-back black hair, fierce scowl on the face...well, not really.

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Question 3 of 10

3. Medieval bestiaries accused the wolverine of having a psychological disorder most similar to which of these? Hint

Bulimia

Paranoid schizophrenia

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Depression

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Question 4 of 10

4. In which of the following places would you be most likely to find a wolverine? Hint

Heavily-forested lowlands in Nova Scotia

Lightly-forested areas just below treeline in Montana

Bare ice fields in Alaska

Areas of farmland interspersed with forest in Sweden

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which of these is NOT another name for the wolverine? Hint

Devil bear

Carcajou

Honey badger

Skunk bear

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Question 6 of 10

6. Wolverine fur is said to have a special property. What is it? Hint

It does not generate static electricity

Frost does not collect on it

It is hollow

Its odor scares away rabbits and deer

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Question 7 of 10

7. The wolverine's adaptations show that it has evolved to fit a particular niche. What is that niche? Hint

Scavenger

Insectivore

Hunter of large mammals

Hunter of fish

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Question 8 of 10

8. What is unusual about the home ranges of wolverines? Hint

They are concentrated around rich sources of food

They never cross rivers

Many wolverines share one home range

They are enormous

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Question 9 of 10

9. The wolverine is listed as an endangered species in the United States.

True

False

10. What word completes this quote by Ernest Thompson Seton?
"Picture a _____________ -and most of us can do that, for we have met that little demon of destruction, that small atom of insensate courage, that symbol of slaughter, sleeplessness, and tireless, incredible activity-picture that scrap of demoniac fury, multiply that mite some fifty times, and you have the likeness of a Wolverine."

Answer: (One word- an animal)

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The scientific name for the wolverine is Gulo gulo. What does this name mean?

Answer: Gluttonous glutton

The wolverine has been known throughout history for gluttony. All members of the weasel family have high metabolisms and thus large appetites. In addition, wolverines were reviled for what was seen as a type of gluttony- urinating on food stores that they appropriated from trappers and others, to mark the food as "theirs."

2. What does a wolverine look like?

Answer: About the size of a beagle, with long, dense, brown fur. A tan stripe runs over the shoulders and along the flanks.

The wolverine is smaller than most people think, with males averaging 35 pounds. Females are much smaller; on average only half the size of males. In addition to the distinguishing tan stripes, there may be a white spot on the chest. The wolverine also has a short, wide, powerful muzzle and a bushy tail.

The human description is of the character Wolverine from "The X-Men" comics and movies.

3. Medieval bestiaries accused the wolverine of having a psychological disorder most similar to which of these?

Answer: Bulimia

It was claimed that the wolverine would gorge itself until it could barely waddle, then squeeze itself between two trees that were so narrow that "effluvium," for lack of a more genteel word, would squirt from the wolverine like toothpaste! Thus emptied, the wolverine would gorge itself again and repeat the cycle. Old bestiaries boast graphic engravings depicting the process.

4. In which of the following places would you be most likely to find a wolverine?

Answer: Lightly-forested areas just below treeline in Montana

The wolverine now inhabits boreal forest areas around the North Pole. In the US, populations are known to exist in Alaska, Montana and Idaho. The wolverine is also found in northern and western Canada and most of northern Eurasia. Throughout their range, wolverines are found almost exclusively in areas far from human habitation. Most of the year, they prefer lightly-forested areas in mountainous regions; they may use lower-elevation forest in winter.

5. Which of these is NOT another name for the wolverine?

Answer: Honey badger

Only the cougar (Felis concolor) seems to have more common names than the wolverine! Other names include glutton, woods devil, Indian devil and ommeethatsees (a Cree Indian word.) The honey badger is another name for the ratel (Mellivora capensis), an African mustelid similar in looks and temper to the wolverine.

6. Wolverine fur is said to have a special property. What is it?

Answer: Frost does not collect on it

Wolverine fur is used as trim on parkas and jackets due to its frost-resistant properties. This is a very unfortunate situation for wolverines, as many are trapped every year for this purpose.

7. The wolverine's adaptations show that it has evolved to fit a particular niche. What is that niche?

Answer: Scavenger

There are many tall tales of wolverines bringing down full-grown moose, but in actuality, the wolverine derives much of its diet from scavenging already-dead large ungulates. Like a hyena, the wolverine has extremely powerful jaws that can crush even large bones. A wolverine's jaws are so powerful that it can chew through chain-link fence!

8. What is unusual about the home ranges of wolverines?

Answer: They are enormous

An adult male wolverine can have a home range of more than 920 square kilometers/355 square miles! Females have home ranges about half the size of males. Wolverines are constantly on the move; mountain ranges, rivers, and other geographic features are no barrier to them.

9. The wolverine is listed as an endangered species in the United States.

Answer: False

The wolverine is unprotected by the Endangered Species Act, despite its extreme scarcity and limited range. Several petitions have been made to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to list the wolverine; all have been refused due to "insufficient data." Meanwhile, wolverine habitat continues to be degraded, and the wolverine is trapped for its fur in Alaska and Montana.

10. What word completes this quote by Ernest Thompson Seton? "Picture a _____________ -and most of us can do that, for we have met that little demon of destruction, that small atom of insensate courage, that symbol of slaughter, sleeplessness, and tireless, incredible activity-picture that scrap of demoniac fury, multiply that mite some fifty times, and you have the likeness of a Wolverine."

Answer: weasel

The wolverine is, after all, a gigantic weasel, and possesses all of those characteristics that make weasels unique, from boldness to activity level to pungent scent glands!

Source: Author crisw

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