About wolverines

Our largest member of the weasel family, or mustelid, is a typical scavenger. It is the smallest of the four large carnivores, but a tough customer all the same! On these pages, you can find out all about the wolverine!

Foto Andreas Buarø

Foto: Roger Brendhagen.

Wolverine facts

Latin: Gulo gulo.
Family: Weasel family (Mustelids).
Length: Up to 1 m.
Weight: Varies from 8 – 25 kg.
Breeding season: Spring and summer.
Number of young: 1 – 4.
Life span: Normally 10 – 12 år.

Download wolverine factsheet.

Wolverine facts

The wolverine has large paws for its body size. Its large tracks have impressions made by five toes and may or may not have a heel impression. Wolverine tracks are like those of most mustelids – just much larger.

How does the wolverine live?

The wolverine lives alone in large territories that it defends against strange wolverines of the same sex. Female wolverines look after their young, or kits, until they leave home.

What does the wolverine eat?

The wolverine is first and foremost a scavenger, meaning that it eats the remains of animals that are already dead. The wolverine does not mind if the carcasses (dead animals) are rotten. Reindeer are the most important food source for the wolverine, but it can also kill a lot of sheep, making it unpopular with sheep farmers.

Where does the wolverine live?

I dag lever jerven for det meste i fjellet fra Trøndelag og nordover. De siste årene har den begynt å vende tilbake til skogtrakter sørover i Hedmark. Nowadays, the wolverine mainly lives in the mountains in Trøndelag and northwards. In recent years, wolverines have started to return to wooded areas in Hedmark to the southeast.

How many wolverines do we have?

It is estimated that there are 382 wolverines in Norway as of 2020. This is an increase from the year before. The authorities can open up for culling since the national population target has been surpassed, to prevent loss of domestic animals.