Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
A trapper runs his trapline from a cabin in the far northern wilderness. One day a wolverine discovers
the trapper and instantly acquires a dire hatred of the man. The wolverine then begins checking the
trapline ahead of the trapper, killing and eating the catch in order to drive the trapper away. Desperate,
the trapper attempts to trap or shoot the wolverine, but to no avail; with fiendish cunning, the wolverine
continually eludes him.
One day the trapper returns to his cabin to find that the wolverine, as further proof of its diabolical
nature and all-consuming hatred, has broken into the cabin and eaten or destroyed the trapper's winter
supplies. The trapper is forced to give up and return to civilization, the victim of a supernatural ad-
versary.
No doubt there is considerable truth to at least some of these tales, but the trapper's interpretation of
the facts are wildly inaccurate. The actual story is probably as follows:
The wolverine evolved as a denizen of an extraordinarily harsh climate. Lacking particularly good
eyesight and hearing, this mammal is nonetheless wonderfully adapted to its home in the far north.
These adaptations include a marvelously keen sense of smell, great endurance, and immense strength
for its size; indeed, many consider the wolverine and badger to be, pound for pound, the strongest of all
North American mammals.
The wolverine, to survive in such a harsh environment, became a hunter and scavenger in the sum-
mer, caching quantities of food against the long winter, and primarily a scavenger during the winter.
Using its exceptional sense of smell, the wolverine could detect its caches and the remains of old wolf
or bear kills beneath several feet of snow.
One day a trapper moved into territory inhabited by wolverines. He built a cabin and, like the wolver-
ine caching food for the winter, stocked the cabin with enough staples to see him through until spring.
Then, on snowshoes, he set his traps along a circuit covering several miles.
Along came a wolverine, which, curious about this strange scent, followed the trapper's trail. There it
found animals immobilized in traps—a hungry wolverine's version of Easy Street. Since wolverines are
far from stupid— though certainly not endowed with supernatural intelligence—the wolverine quickly
learned that following the trapper's trail meant easy pickings, and frequently checked the trapline in the
course of its peregrinations.
To the superstitious trapper, it seemed as though the wolverine was acting out of malice and trying
to put him out of business. This notion was reinforced when the trapper, despite repeated efforts, failed
to see the wolverine in order to shoot it, and the wolverine evaded traps set for it.
The final act came when the wolverine, particularly hungry that day, happened by the trapper's cabin.
Its keen sense of smell detected food within, and, with its great strength, long claws, and formidable
teeth, it was able to break through a door, shuttered window, or vent. Once inside, the wolverine tore
open containers of flour, sugar, bacon, beans, and other goodies. After gorging itself and leaving the
interior of the cabin in an unholy shambles, the wolverine went on its way.
