FINLAND - A wolverine

FINLAND stamp



WOLVERINE range map

The wolverine (Gulo gulo), Ahma in finnish, also referred to as glutton, carcajou, skunk bear, quickhatch, or gulon, is the largest land-dwelling species of the Mustelidae (weasel) family in the genus Gulo (Latin: "glutton"). It is a stocky and muscular carnivore, more closely resembling a small bear than other mustelids. The wolverine has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size, with the documented ability to kill prey many times its size.

The wolverine is distributed primarily in remote reaches of the Northern boreal forests and subarctic and alpine tundra of the Northern hemisphere, with the greatest numbers in Alaska, Canada, the Nordic countries of Europe and throughout western Russia and Siberia. Their populations have experienced a steady decline since the 19th century in the face of trapping, range reduction and habitat fragmentation, such that they are essentially absent in the southern end of their European range. It is however estimated that large populations remain in North America and North Asia.

Scientific classification :

Phylum : Chordata
Classe : Mammalia
Order : Carnivora
Family : Mustelidae
Genus : Gulo

__________________________________________________

Postcard sent by Maija, as "hedvig"
Postcrossing - Reference FI-779497

A wolverine (Gulo gulo), called Ahma in finnish

kiitos