The wolverine (Gulo gulo) resembles a small bear but is actually the largest member of the weasel family. It has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size, with the documented ability to kill prey many times larger than itself. Its scientific name Gulo gulo means glutton. The English word wolverine probably implies "a little wolf". There are two distinct subspecies of the wolverine: the American and the Eurasian – both subspecies are similar in appearance and behaviour. The wolverine is found primarily in remote reaches of the Northern boreal forests and subarctic and alpine tundra of the Northern Hemisphere, with the greatest numbers in Northern Canada, Alaska, the mainland Nordic countries of Europe, and throughout western Russia and Siberia.
