# Wolverine (*Gulo gulo*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/wolverine  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The wolverine (Gulo gulo) is a mammal of the order Carnivora, family Mustelidae and subfamily Guloninae. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial and nocturnal carnivore with a representative adult body mass of 17 kg. Its main foods include moose, rangifer tarandus, carrion, marmota, mountain hare, north american porcupine and red deer. The wolverine is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 10.6 kg – 17 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 18 years – 19.5 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Main food | american mink, apple, arctic fox, beaver, bison, carrion and 35 more |
| Habitat | forest |
| Gestation | 51.4 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2.5 – 3.5 |
| Age at maturity | 2.07 years – 2.12 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.5 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Mustelidae
- genus: Gulo
- species: *Gulo gulo* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Gulo gulo luscus*, *Gulo vulgaris*, *Mustela gulo*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a wolverine?

The wolverine is a mammal in the order Carnivora and the family Mustelidae. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial animal that is nocturnal.

### How heavy is a wolverine?

A representative adult wolverine weighs 17 kg.

### What does a wolverine eat?

The wolverine is a carnivore. Its main foods include moose, rangifer tarandus, carrion, marmota, mountain hare, beaver, red fox and roe deer.

### How long does a wolverine live?

The wolverine has a lifespan of 18 years, and our sources report values up to 19.5 years.

### Is the wolverine endangered?

No. The wolverine is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

### How many young does a wolverine have?

A wolverine has 2.84 young per litter, with reported values from 2.5 to 3.5. The sheet gives 0.5 litters per year.

### How long is a wolverine's gestation period?

The wolverine's gestation period is 51 days.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Wolverine (Gulo gulo). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/wolverine