I had an odd dream the other night about a wolverine – the big, bulked-up weasel, not the hairy mutant. In the dream, I was watching the beastie leap onto the back of a moose, which it killed after much clawing/tearing/biting.
Would a wolverine actually be able to do this? I don’t picture them being able to jump like that – leap onto a moose’s back, since they are pretty tall critters – but perhaps I am wrong.
Any information would be appreciated, as always.
I’ve no clue about a wolverine’s leaping ability so I can offer no insight there.
I can say that experience has shown it to be quite difficult to stay on the back of an angry moose.
Yes, tequila shooters were involved. Why do you ask?
Well, the wolverine didn’t have to stay on too long – the moose didn’t go very far before collapsing!
Now I am also wondering if that is realistic – a wolverine killing a moose! I know that wolverines are supposed to be pretty strong for their size, but there is quite a size differential between wolverine and moose…
I do have odd dreams, though, I must admit.
Scroll down to the abstract on page 41 of this pdf.
Short answer re:moose, it appears it happens but is probably rather rare and involve either calves or badly compromised adults. Still seriously badass.
Hey, that was fascinating! Thank you very much.
I doubt very much that a wolverine would be able to leap onto a moose’s back from the ground. However, I have seen references to wolverines jumping onto the backs of prey animals from trees. I would guess that a wolverine could get onto a moose’s back either that way, or by leaping from a trunk or snowdrift.