How do I describe Wolverines? They are *SO* super duper fierce, strong, elusive, clever, and courageous. They look like small insane bears, but are actually the largest member of the weasel family. They are ferocious and fearless and have no qualms about attacking an animal 8 times their size and crushing the bones of their prey with their strong jaws. They are powerful hunters with an UNCANNY sense of smell (they have been know to find a carcass under 20 feet of snow). Speaking of snow: they have huge paws (tipped with hook-like toes), which act like snowshoes as they gallop over snow.
American Indians have a ton of words to describe the Wolverine: Evil Spirit, Mountain Devil, Master of the Forest, Trickster Hero, Last Phantom of the Wilderness, Devil Bear, Woods Devil, Skunk Bears.
A great way to capture the spirit of the Wolverine is in this quote by American wildlife biologist, Douglas Chadwick:
“…whatever they do, they do undauntedly. They live life as fiercely and relentlessly as it has ever been lived. If wolverines have a strategy it’s this: Go hard and high and steep and never back down. Not even from the biggest grizzly and least of all from the mountain. Climb everything: Trees, cliffs, avalanche chutes, summits. Eat everybody. Alive, dead, long dead, moose, mouse, fox, frog, if it’s still warm heart or frozen bones.”
Animals for Sam 