Wolverine has built its reputation as ferocious animals having the strength to drive away animals even bigger than its size whether it would be a bear or a mountain lion. While being the ancestral brother of modern-day dogs; grey wolves are elegant apex predators which live in closely knitted packs. However, if you are an animal enthusiast then a question might have come to your mind that who would have won if an animal duel ever happened between them. To determine the winner let’s know about these two closely.
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Physical traits:
What do Wolverines look like?
Wolverines are the largest member of the Mustelidae family similar to which weasels also belong. A wild carnivorous mammal that belongs to the family Canidae. Wolverine, Due to their small size, they are often attributed as “small bear” or “skunk bear” or “glutton”. A heavily built short legged rounded heads and rounded ears mammal, Wolverines are 36-45 cm in height having body length ranging between 65-105 cm and can weigh between 9-330 kg. Wolverines have a furry coat which is usually brown or brownish-black having yellow or golden stripes. They have stocky-built, powerful short legs, round ears, large heads, and sharp claws. Wolverines can outrun any big animals in snow as they have semi-plantigrade locomotion and wide clawed paws; however, the wolverine isn’t fast animal on land;
How do Wolves look like?
Grey wolves are the largest member of the family Canidae. Males are bigger than females having an average body length ranging between 5-6.5 feet while females are 4.5-6 feet long. An adult male can weigh between 30-80 kg whereas females are around 23-55 kg. They have a long snout, length furry tail, short ears, strong legs, and a muscular neck. Grey wolves have fur which can be white, grey, brown, cinnamon, and rarely black. Wolves have sharp teeth with 4 large canines that are 1 inch long and are sharp clawed.
Behavioral Traits:
Are Wolverines aggressive?
Wolverines are solitary animals, they usually live alone and meet during mating season. They are very territorial and intolerant to intruders of same-sex. Wolverines are nocturnal; they hunt during the nights. Snow doesn’t affect wolverine much, they don’t go in hibernation like bears and are active year-round.
How do Wolves Behave?
Grey Wolves are very social, they live in packs having 2-25 individuals. Each wolf pack has an alpha male and an alpha female and their young ones. There is a strong hierarchical structure in wolves packs, alpha male is dominant over others and eats first taking whatever he wants. Wolves are identified with their tall stature, longer legs, and pricked ears. while The color of the fur depends on the habitat, Alpha female is subordinate to the alpha male, the resemblance of wolves is that of dogs, but with thicker fur and pricked ears they are far apart from dogs. They have higher IQ and are much more intelligent than wolverines.
Diet: Wolf vs Wolverine
What foods do Wolverines eat?
Wolverines are omnivorous; wolf would eat foxes, birds, coyotes, squirrels, rabbits, porcupines, beavers, moose, reindeer, roots, seeds, etc.
What do wolves eat other than meat?
Grey Wolves are carnivores their diet includes large hoofed animals like caribou, elk, reindeer, bison, moose, and other small mammals like beavers, rodents, hares.Wolves will eat non meat items (such as vegetables), but not often
Habitat and Geographical Distribution:
Where do Wolverines live?
Wolverines live in grasslands, tundra, alpine forests; during the winter season, they live in dens made of snow or rock crevices or burrows. As mentioned earlier they are mainly found in a cold region. Wolverines are found in the region of North America and Northern Eurasia. They prefer to live far away from the human settlement in undisturbed habitats. Grey Wolves are found in the Northern hemisphere till the Arctic.
Where do we find Wolfs?
Grey Wolves are found in varied regions from arctic tundra to forests, prairie, and grasslands.Grey wolves have a significant population living in United States, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, and Eurasia.
Fun Facts for kids:
- Grey wolf can run at a speed ranging between 55-70 km/hr. While Wolverine upto 30 km/h.
- Wolverines are good climbers and excellent swimmers.
- The wolverine usually pounces on its prey from trees.
- Bullets might penetrate Wolverine’s skin, but wouldn’t kill him.
- Bite force of a wolverine is 224 Newtons
Can a Wolverine Kill a Wolf? Who Would Win?
The fight between grey wolf and wolverine would be the interesting one. wolf, could easily kill the nasty critter. But wolf packs have no interest, in such small yet aggressive mammals. Wolverine is extremely ferocious; it can attack animal way larger than their size. When a grey wolf encounter the wolverine and try to attack; wolverine will prove to be the strong opponent.
Wolves are above wolverines on the food chain cause for a fight will be a dispute over a food item or for defense of cubs, on the contrary Should the wolf Pack have another target for food, they would surely leave the wolverine alone except for A highly tempting food item changes the foregoing scenario.
Although, grey wolf is bigger in size; wolverine will not be afraid of it. In one-on-one fight wolverine can give fatal blows to the grey wolf. Wolverine is very agile when attacked upon it can dodge the wolf. wolverine cannot kill a gray wolf since it is larger in size. But can inflict heavy injuries on wolf with their sharp-long claws which will lead to death of the wolf. Hence, wolverine grabs the winning position of this animal duel.
Comparison Chart: Wolf and Wolverine
| Comparison Heads | Wolverine | Grey Wolf |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia | Mammalia |
| Order | Carnivora | Carnivora |
| Family | Mustelidae | Canidae |
| Genus | Gulo | Canis |
| Species | G. gulo | C. Lupus |
| Weight | 300 lbs | 40-175 lbs |
| Average Height | 35-45 cm | 60-80 cm |
| Average Length | 65-107 cm | 152-182 cm |
| Speed | 30 km/hr | 70 km/hr |
| Found in | Northern Hemisphere, Europe, USA, Canada, Russia | North America and Eurasia |
| Habitat | Cold regions | Grasslands, forests, arctic tundra |
Comparison Video: Wolf Vs Wolverine
FAQ’S: Frequently Asked Questions
Which animal can kill a wolverine?
Bears, Wolverines are usually killed and eaten by wild bears, wolves and other carnivores
Can a wolverine kill a tiger?
If wolverine were to go for the tiger’s throat, it is possible to hold it against the big cat
Can a wolverine be tamed?
Despite their bad reputation, wolverines can be easily trained and domesticated.
Do Wolverines eat humans?
Wolverines are omnivorous scavengers. but there are no documented attacks on humans.