• Categorized under Animals,Nature | Difference Between Wolf and Wolverine

Wolf vs Wolverine

Due to its close resemblance to the bear and the wolf, a wolverine is often incorrectly thought to belong to the same family as the wolf. A wolverine belongs to the weasel family, and it is known to be the largest among the land dwelling species of that family. It is sometimes called a glutton, or skunk bear, and has close resemblance to a small bear. It is a very fierce animal, with a reputation for ferocity, and strength that is not proportional to its size. It is even able to prey on animals bigger than its size.

The wolverine predominantly lives in the remote areas of the subarctic and alpine tundra, in the northern hemisphere, mostly in the European Nordic countries of western Russia, Siberia, Alaska and Canada. They are very rare in the southern range of Europe and North America, due to a number of factors, including trapping and habitat fragmentation.

The anatomy of a wolverine facilitates easy movement through deep snow, even though it has short legs and large toed paws. It is stocky and quite muscular, with a broad and rounded head, short legs, short rounded ears and small eyes. More than other mustelids, the wolverine closely resembles a bear. It has a thick coating of oily fur that protects it from the freezing cold. Its large teeth and powerful jaws enable it to crush bones and cut frozen meat from its prey. They are slow animals, and therefore do not usually chase after their prey. They will often let other faster animals do the hunting, and then pounce on the kill from a hiding place or tree (they are good climbers). A wolverine will fight other wolverines to defend its territory, and its pungent anal smell chases or warns away enemies.

The wolf, on the other hand, is a member of the canine family, and it is the largest of that family. It can weigh up to 175 pounds, and can either be gray, white, brown, reddish, tan or black in color. A wolf is a very social animal, and they will often dwell in family groups, called packs. There is a strict hierarchical order in wolf packs, with the mother or father as the family head. On average, a pack will have 7 to 8 members, but it can consist of any number between 2 and 20 wolves. They have one of the most complex communication systems in the animal world. Wolves have a build that closely resembles that of dogs, but with thicker fur and pricked ears. They are much more intelligent than wolverines, dogs and coyotes. They can communicate by howling, snarling, whining or barking. They will rarely go near humans or livestock, although they are mistakenly thought to be killers. Wolves are very common animals, found almost anywhere, especially in deeply forested areas.

Summary

1. Wolves are canines, while wolverines are weasels.

2. Wolves are easier to find, living mainly in forested areas, while wolverines are rare, and live mainly in arctic places in the northern hemisphere.

3. Wolves live in groups called packs, and will not attack each other, whereas wolverines live segregated, and will attack other wolverines to protect their space.

4. Wolverines have rounded heads,short rounded ears and shorter legs, and will seldom hunt for their prey; wolves have longer legs and pricked ears, and will hunt for their prey.