Wolverine  (Gulo gulo)

Authenticated (16/02/05) by Dr Arild Landa of the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research.

• Carnivore: flesh-eating.
• Carrion: the flesh of a dead animal.
• Hibernation: a winter survival strategy characteristic of some mammals in which an animal’s metabolic rate slows down and a state of deep sleep is attained. Whilst hibernating, animals survive on stored reserves of fat that they have accumulated in summer. In insects, the correct term for hibernation is ‘diapause’, a temporary pause in development and growth. Any stage of the lifecycle (eggs, larvae, pupae or adults) may enter diapause, which is typically associated with winter.
• Subspecies: a population usually restricted to a geographical area that differs from other populations of the same species, but not to the extent of being classified as a separate species.
• Taiga: the sub-arctic forest of the high northern latitudes that surrounds the pole and is mainly composed of coniferous trees.
• Tundra: treeless grassland between the icecap and the tree line of Arctic regions, with vegetation consisting of lichens, grasses, sedges and dwarf woody plants.

1. IUCN Red List (May, 2009)
   http://www.iucnredlist.org
2. Macdonald, D. (2001) The New Encyclopedia of Mammals.Oxford University Press, Oxford.
3. San Francisco State University (March, 2003)
   http://bss.sfsu.edu/geog/bholzman/courses/Fall00Projects/wolverine.html
4. Landa, A., Lindén, M. and Kojola, I. (2000) Action Plan for the conservation of Wolverines (Gulo gulo) in Europe.Council of Europe Publishing, EU. Available at: http://www.lcie.org/Docs/COE/COE%20NE%20115%20Action%20plan%20for%20wolverines%202000.pdf
5. Wolverine Foundation (March, 2003)
   http://www.wolverinefoundation.org
6. Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe (April, 2008)
   http://www.lcie.org/