The Wolverine Trivia Quiz

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!