QuestionWolverine
What Do Wolverines Eat? Scavenging and Hunting in Snow
Wolverines are carnivores and scavengers. In winter they live largely on carrion, the remains of reindeer, caribou, moose and deer killed by wolves, bears, lynx, avalanches or starvation. They also hunt: hares, marmots, ground squirrels, voles, birds and eggs in summer, and reindeer or caribou that flounder in deep snow. Surplus food is cached in snow.
Contents
A carrion specialist
The wolverine is one of the most important scavengers of the north. Through the long winter, when small animals are hidden under snow and many birds have flown south, large carcasses are the most reliable food. Wolverines follow wolf packs, check old kill sites and travel widely to find animals that died in avalanches or of hunger.
Their sense of smell is excellent. A wolverine can detect a carcass buried under deep snow and dig straight down to it. In Scandinavia, studies using radio collars and stomach contents show that reindeer and moose remains form a large share of the winter diet, and in North America caribou, moose, deer, mountain goats and Dall sheep play the same role.
Wolverines often depend on bigger predators for this food. Where gray wolves and lynx are common, wolverines get more carrion, but they also face a greater risk of being killed by wolves at the carcass.
What do wolverines hunt?
Wolverines are capable predators, especially of smaller animals. Their diet varies with season and region, but the main types of prey are:
| Food | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reindeer, caribou, moose, deer | Mostly winter | Mostly carrion; live prey caught in deep snow |
| Hares and rabbits | All year | Snowshoe hares in North America, mountain hares in Europe |
| Marmots and ground squirrels | Spring and summer | Dug out of burrows; important in mountains |
| Voles and lemmings | All year | Dug from under the snow in winter |
| Birds and eggs | Spring and summer | Grouse, ptarmigan and ground-nesting birds |
| Porcupines and beavers | Occasional | Taken where they are common |
| Berries, roots and insect larvae | Late summer and autumn | A small share of the diet |
In late winter and spring, when snow is deep and soft or covered by a thin crust, wolverines can catch large hoofed animals. Their wide, furry feet spread their weight so they run on top of the snow while a reindeer or caribou sinks. They also take newborn reindeer and caribou calves in spring. Healthy adult moose on firm ground are usually far too big and strong for them.
Reindeer, sheep and conflict with people
In Norway, Sweden and Finland, wolverines kill semi-domesticated reindeer, which are herded by Sami and other reindeer owners. In Norway they also kill sheep grazing freely in mountain pastures in summer. These losses are the main source of conflict between wolverines and people in Europe.
The Scandinavian countries pay compensation to herders and farmers. Sweden uses a system that pays reindeer-herding communities for each wolverine litter born in their area, rather than for each dead reindeer, which rewards having wolverines present. Limited, licensed culling is allowed in some areas of Norway, while wolverine numbers overall are monitored closely.
Caching: a freezer in the snow
One of the most remarkable wolverine habits is food caching. When a wolverine finds a large carcass, it eats what it can, then tears off pieces and carries them away to hide. It buries meat in snowbanks, pushes it into rock crevices or hides it in peat bogs and wet ground.
The cold acts like a refrigerator or freezer. Cached meat stays fresh for weeks or even months, and wolverines return to their caches through the winter and into spring. Females with young kits rely heavily on stored food, since they cannot travel far from the den. A wolverine marks its caches with urine and musk from its scent glands, possibly to claim them or to help find them again.
How do wolverines eat frozen food?
Much of what a wolverine eats in winter is frozen hard. Its strong jaws and teeth are built for this. At the back of the upper jaw is a molar turned sideways, at roughly 90 degrees to the other teeth, which helps tear off pieces of frozen meat and crush bone. Wolverines eat hide, sinew and bone as well as meat, and can break bones that other scavengers leave behind.
This power, and the animal’s readiness to defend a carcass against wolves and bears, is part of the wolverine’s fierce reputation, explored in how strong is a wolverine?.
How the diet changes through the year
Winter: mostly carrion of reindeer, caribou, moose and deer, plus cached food, voles dug from under the snow and occasional live hoofed prey caught in deep snow.
Spring: a peak in hunting large prey in late snow, newborn calves, and stored food that females use to feed growing kits.
Summer: a much more varied diet of marmots, ground squirrels, hares, voles, lemmings, birds, eggs and insect larvae, with less carrion.
Autumn: small mammals, berries and the remains left by human hunters in some areas, as the wolverine prepares for winter. Wolverines do not hibernate, so they must keep finding food all year.
Myths about the wolverine diet
Myth: wolverines eat until they burst. The scientific name Gulo means “glutton”, and old European tales claimed wolverines gorged until they had to squeeze between trees to empty themselves. This is pure folklore. Wolverines eat quickly and store large amounts because food is unpredictable, not because they are greedy.
Myth: wolverines kill for fun. Wolverines sometimes kill several reindeer or sheep at once, especially when animals are trapped in snow or fenced. Like other predators that do this, they usually return to cache and eat the meat later.
To see where these foods are found, read where do wolverines live?.
Frequently asked questions
Are wolverines scavengers or hunters?
Both. In winter, much of a wolverine's food is carrion from animals killed by wolves, lynx, bears, avalanches or hunger. It also hunts, from voles and hares to reindeer and caribou caught in deep snow.
Do wolverines eat plants?
Only a little. Berries, roots and other plant matter make up a small part of the diet, mostly in late summer and autumn. Wolverines are classed as carnivores.
How do wolverines store food?
They tear carcasses into pieces and bury them in snow, under rocks, in crevices or in peat bogs. The cold keeps the meat fresh for weeks or months, and the wolverine marks its caches with musk and urine.
Do wolverines eat bones?
Yes. Strong jaws and a sideways-turned upper molar let wolverines crush bones and tear meat even when it is frozen solid. They leave very little of a carcass behind.
Do wolverines kill reindeer?
Yes. In Scandinavia wolverines kill semi-domesticated reindeer, mostly in late winter when deep, soft snow makes the reindeer easy to catch. Norway, Sweden and Finland pay compensation to reindeer herders for these losses.
Sources and further reading
- Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan), "Gulo gulo"
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, "Gulo gulo"
- Macdonald, D. W. (ed.), The Princeton Encyclopedia of Mammals (2009)
Cite this page
“What Do Wolverines Eat? Scavenging and Hunting in Snow.” Animal Atlas, https://animals.bigworldlist.com/questions/what-do-wolverines-eat/.
