There are four large carnivore species in Finland, all belonging to different families. The lynx is a feline, the wolf is a canine, the brown bear is from the family Ursus and the wolverine is from the family of weasels.
The wolverine (Gulo gulo) is our largest representative of the weasel family. The future of the wolverine depends on the success of other large carnivores, especially the wolf, because the wolverine is primarily a scavenger. It prefers to look for something to eat rather than something to hunt.
The wolverine's Latin and Finnish names are derived from its feeding habits: Gulo and ahma both mean "glutton". When the wolverine finds something to eat, it devours it quickly swallowing even the larger chunks of meat whole. As a predator the wolverine is a little clumsy, but in the right snow conditions the wolverine can kill several reindeer in quick succession. This is typical weasel behaviour: they kill animals for storage, so to speak.
Wolverine. Photo: Kimmo Pöri
The wolverine is a stocky predator. Its paw print features five toes while lynx and wolf tracks only show the impressions of four toes.
The wolverine moves in a unique manner, which leaves behind tracks that stand out because of their shape and large size. The wolverine moves either by jumping, which creates paired tracks, or by galloping, which leaves a slanted line where the impressions appear in threes. The wolverine's paw print ...
The wolverine preys on an extremely wide selection of animals from small mammals to deer species and full-grown reindeer.
The wolverine is a carrion feeder. As a predator it is clumsy when compared to our other large carnivores, but in the winter it can still kill several reindeer in quick succession.
The wolverine population has increased by approx. ten per cent a year over the last three decades.
The current management plan for the Finnish wolverine population was approved in 2014. The current plan is structured differently that previous plans. Now the actual management plan only details the goals of wolverine population management and the activities through which they are to be achieved. Th...
As a member of the European Union, Finland commits to taking EU legislation into account in its decision making. The Directives of the European Community are incorporated into national legislation, which extends their reach to also cover all private operators. The status of large carnivores is regul...
The hunting and fishing supervisors of the State Forest Enterprise (Metsähallitus) have revealed a suspected illegal wolverine killing in Taivalkoski. The police are investigating the case as a serious hunting offence.