Age of the wolverine

Here we explain how long the wolverine lives and how its life expectancy changes with age.

Wolverine: what is it like

The beaver eater typically lives from 14 years and 8 months to 24 years and 5 months, although the maximum recorded lifespan is 19 years and 6 months, with a theoretical lifespan ranging from 9 years and 9 months to 19 years and 6 months; the species reaches sexual maturity between 2 and 3 years of age. The young’s eyes open between 3 weeks and 1 month and 1 week after birth, following an embryonic stage where the fetus develops inside the mother. The newborn is blind, covered in fur, completely dependent on its mother's milk, and remains in the infant stage for between 1 day and 4 months. After this period, the animal enters the adult stage, which lasts from 2 years to 13 years and 8 months, during which it hunts independently and can reproduce.

Mass
23145–23368 g
Length
650–1100 mm
Lifespan
5342–8903 days 15–24 years
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The wolverine is a large and strong predator from the mustelid family. It lives in cold forests and tundra, known for its endurance and ability to obtain food even in winter.
The wolverine stands out with its enormous strength and courage compared to other mustelids. It is important for nature because it eats sick animals and food remains, helping to clean forests and tundra.
Searching for prey over a large area and tearing food with strong jaws.
trophic:carnivore
#e5dfd2
Maturity
710–1095 days 2–3 years
Lifespan maximum
7122 days 19 years 6 months
Theoretical lifespan
3561–7122 days 10–20 years
Duration (adult carnivoran)
730–5000 days 2–14 years
Duration (embryo)
180–270 days 6–9 months
Duration (young)
78.3–95.7 days 3 months
Age (embryo)
26.25–43.75 days 3 weeks 5 days – 1 month 2 weeks
Age (from birth to death)
3561–7122 days 10–20 years
Age (juvenile)
836 days 2 years 4 months
5341.78125
8902.96875
3561.1875
7122.375
650.0
1100.0
23144.628988295102
23368.10317817844
The wolverine molts in spring and autumn so that its fur better protects against cold and moisture at different times of the year.
-1
-1
meadows, prairies, forb glades on land
Worker
Were {name} like {animal}, then:
birth time
vertebrates
breeding
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
g
summer mild, +15…+20 °C
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
Claws color
reindeer
very cold, short summer, almost no trees, lots of moss
days
snow
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
adult carnivoran
Maturity
Carry-on luggage
About health
milk
vertebrates
cool, lots of coniferous trees, snow in winter
jaws
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
rodents in general — rats, squirrels, ground squirrels
carrion
Repro interval
results
Colors
Cool summer
Sex
Upcoming jubilees
scavenging, eat already dead animals
Gremllins
mo
alpine meadows and arctic tundra on land
Trophic type
Filters
Palearctic realm
den
Upcoming birthdays
legs
Winter with snow
eggs, roe or offspring develop in a nest built on the ground or close to it
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
high in the mountains, cold, lots of grass and shrubs
in a burrow
rains almost always, very humid
young are born live on land, not hatched from eggs or roe
4.8 to 6 kilograms, 0.8 – 1.4 meters
Age (juvenile)
Age (from birth to death)
Age (embryo)
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Wanderers
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
berries
More:
Tundra
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
animals with backbone
Business sausages
Lifespan average
in a terrestrial nest
Montane grasslands
live birth
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
dead vertebrates
end of acceleration
Share
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
nest hidden in an underground burrow
Pets
Nearctic realm
juicy berries — bilberry, rowan, rosehip
Lots of rain and cool summer
{name} jubilee
Claws count
cm
Temperate coniferous forest
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
Claws size
turns
Rascals
terrestrial forest
terrestrial herbaceous
Flooded grasslands
drink mother's milk in childhood
Litter size
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
Share
Fur temp
alpine and arctic tundra
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
Where are they found?
hares and rabbits
nest hidden in an underground burrow, only the mother provides parental care for the offspring
lots of rain, cool summer, snow in winter
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Elders
Bro
Taxons
carnivore
if born as {name}
cold, short summer, almost no trees
age
birth date
Palearctic realm
tearing
rest
Fur color
Close
was
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
The basics
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
primary food sources
teeth
after transformation until death
Potential Habitat
d
In husbandry
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
Mass
live hares and rabbits
cold winter, lots of coniferous trees: spruce, pine
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
Gestation
Rips or shreds food using teeth, beak or claws.
land
{name} birthday
Nearctic realm
Link copied
No results found
North America and Greenland, from tundra to forests
branches
On the map
all life stages
Female ♀
Cold and almost dry
rodents
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0 Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
large mammals
birth year
Shelter used specifically for reproduction or nesting.
Maturity
caring mother
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
sq mm
yr
protection from sun
How similar?
Male ♂
until the celebration
young
Tundra
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
What if eaten?
Neither
from birth to adulthood
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
What do they eat?
dry and cold almost all year round
Where do they live?
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
much snow in winter, cold
Hard dental structures used to bite, tear, or scrape food.
berries
forests on land — tropical, temperate, boreal
water often floods the land, lots of grass
rodents
hares
Duration
This is me
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Always very wet
Gamers
How are they built?
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
terrestrial
Taiga
Asexual
swap
Who among us will transform as if by magic and become like {animal}?
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Where do they take shelter?
inhabit and develop on land, outside water bodies
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Searching for prey over a large area and tearing food with strong jaws.
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
foraging
Hermaphrodite ⚥
North America and Greenland, from tundra to forests
embryo
Length
kg
Observations
◉{N} more on tap
young
pupa
imago
adolescent
adolescent
wolverine
rosomakha
adi-sibir-porsugu
shrh
rasamakha
kugx
uruvu-arin
samuravi
rosomakha
ulbeolin
rosomakha
zhderavats
kony
rosomaxa
lang-huan