Steven Walker, age 8, of Salt Lake City, Utah, for his question:
Where do wolverines live?
The pioneers met wolverines in many parts of our land. They knew the good qualities and the bad qualities of this native American animal. The settlers of Michigan admired his strength and his fearless courage. They adopted him and Michigan became the Wolverine State. But there have been no wolverines in the wilds of the Wolverine State for many years.
The wolverine makes his home in North America. Years ago, he roamed as.he pleased through many of our states. But the settlers drove him back to the north country and the western mountains. The tough fellow can cope with harsh, wintry weather and nowadays he lives in the cold polar climate where not many hunters gu to find him. In pioneer days, he was hunted for two reasons. He makes a horrible nuisance of himself and the settlers wanted him off their property. Others hunted him for his shaggy coat. The wolverine has special fur that does not mat together and freeze in icy weather. Eskimos still sew borders of wolverine fur around the edges of their parkas.
Nowadays, we might see a wolverine at home among the lofty mountains of Colorado or northern California. If we searched, we might find him prowling through the woody regions of' Quebec, or in other parts of southern Canada. But the most likely places are farther north. We could meet him in the barren wintry lands of northern Canada and Alaska. We also could find him on a small island at the edge of the chilly Arctic Ocean.
But, sad to say, if we did find the sturdy character we might be very sorry. He is not a friendly fellow and some of his habits axe downright horrible. He can foul the air with revolting skunk scent. Mr. Skunk uses his scent only when threatened, but Mr. Wolverine is more lavish. He sprays his penetrating perfume around his den and his food. He boldly raids human camps and buildings and sprays them also. The smelly fellow is a born thief and a very cunning lone bandit.
Some call him the skunk bear because he smells like a skunk and looks like a small bear. No bear would take him for a relative, but the wolverine is a distant cousin of the gentle skunk. His shaggy, dark brown body is nearly three feet long, plus about one foot of thick, bushy tail. His bulky paws have mighty claws and he weighs about 36 pounds. His wolverine's head is smaller than bear size and his face is mean. He wears a wide blond stripe along each of his sides. When small animals spot him or smell him, they run away fast. Even a sensible bear or a mountain lion slinks away when the fierce fellow is feasting.
No wonder the wolverine is unpopular. But the settlers of the Wolverine State saw other sides to his character. He is brave and fearless, strong and sturdy. He never runs from a fight with a much bigger foe and the fierce fellow fights with all his might to the bitter end. For his size, he is one of the world's strongest and boldest animals. And the wolverine also is very clever, hard to catch, and full of artful dodges. It is sad that such a sturdy character is a bad mannered bandit. But the destructive little thief is too much of a nuisance to have around.