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Wolverine
           
                     
                        WOLVERINE, common name for a
                        carnivorous mammal, Gulo gulo, of the
                        family Mustelidae, which also contains
                        the weasels, badgers, otters, and
                        skunks. It is native to the northern
                        regions of North America, Europe, and
                        Asia. French-Canadians call this animal
                        the carcajou, and British-Canadians call it
                        the quickhatch. In Europe it is called the
                        glutton. In habits the wolverine has much
                        in common with the badger. The body is
                        heavyset, the legs are short and thick,
                        and the claws are long and curved. The
                        head and tail are carried low, and the back forms a high arch. The snout is short
                        and pointed, and the head blunt and rounded; the eyes are set widely apart, and the
                        ears project only a short distance above the head fur. The tail is short and extremely
                        bushy, the individual hairs being up to 20 cm (8 in) in length. The thick body fur is
                        composed of long glossy hairs; it is dark brown except for a lighter stripe running
                        the entire length of each side. The average length of the body, excluding the tail, is
                        76 cm (30 in). 

                        The wolverine is a sylvan animal, ranging north to the Arctic Circle and south to the
                        northern border of the U.S. It also occurs in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of
                        California. It is nocturnal and does not hibernate. In spite of its seemingly clumsy
                        movements, the wolverine can move swiftly; the animal usually travels alone or in
                        pairs. The young are born from February through May, usually two or three to a
                        litter. Wolverines will eat any animal they can kill and, lacking live prey, will eat
                        carrion. They are adept at robbing the traps that hunters set for other animals.
                        Although once abundant, the wolverine is now rare because the Indians and Inuit
                        (Eskimo) of northern Canada hunted it extensively for its frost-resistant fur.