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The ferocious wolverine — strong enough to kill prey as large as a moose — may not be tough enough to survive climate change.New research published in the journal Population Ecology suggests that as the wolverine’s snowy habitat across northwestern Canada melts, the hardy and elusive creature’s population thins.
“The general trend is that the faster the snowpack is declining, the more it’s declining, the worse off it seems to be for the wolverines,” said wildlife biologist Jedediah Brodie of the University of Montana. “Every year, it’s becoming more and more clear that climate change is having important impacts on eco-systems, on wildlife species.”
Canada’s eastern wolverines are already on the endangered species list and at risk of becoming extinct. The western wolverines, however, are listed by the federal government as a “special concern species,” meaning they may soon be listed as endangered.
Brodie took interest in wolverines while studying how declining snowpacks in Yellowstone National Park affect elk. He started thinking about whether snowpacks also impact other species.
Brodie and Pennsylvania State University biologist Eric Post decided to research first whether the snowpack across Canada’s four western provinces and three territories was in decline — which it was — then study how that impacted the wolverine, a creature perfectly adapted to snowy conditions. The small bearlike creatures have thick, frost-resistant fur and large paws perfect for padding across snow.
The researchers looked at the number of wolverines caught by trappers from 1970-2004 and compared it with the rate at which the snowpack shrunk. They found “intriguing evidence of a link,” he said.
Brodie said he’s not sure why the diminishing snowpack may affect the wolverine populations, but he has some ideas.
First, the snowpack is important for the species to spread, he said, adding young wolverines follow deep snow as a “travel corridor” to find new territory.
Second, less snow means less food. “Wolverines need snowpack to get food because deep snow makes it easy for them to move around and also because deep snow makes it bad for (their prey), things like moose, caribou and elk.” The predator also hunts rodents, which thrive in deep snow, he said.
And third, female wolverines often make their dens in snow caves and give birth there — “so loss of deep snow could reduce denning success,” he said.
Wolverines are still trapped for their fur in Alaska and Montana, but Brodie said he hopes the study will inspire policy-makers to consider protecting the species. The federal government could not confirm Wednesday whether it is still legal to trap wolverines in Canada.
“Unfortunately, we don’t actually know what the populations are like,” said Brodie. “It’s quite difficult to get good numbers on a rare and elusive species like a wolverine.”
If certain populations of wolverines seem to be struggling with climate change, Brodie said reducing trapping levels or cutting back habitat disturbance could provide them a reprieve.
Wolverines, nicknamed “skunk bears” and “nasty cats,” live in isolated northern areas, including Canada, the United States, Scandinavia, northern Russia and northern China.
@khalampre wrote:
Me too. I have to say that I am disappointed that this post is not about shooting Russians and Mexican socialists.
The new Red Dawn is bout shootin Chinese.
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