The Wolverine. Indian mythology describes the wolverine as a 
trickster-hero, and a link to the spirit world. Still, even today the wolverine remains largely a mystery. Known as the largest living terrestrial mustlid, the wolverine might be mistaken for a small bear with the exception of its bushy tail. They are carnivore and its body length can be up 87 centimetres for an adult and weigh about 21 kilograms.
The wolverine is powerfully built and is well adapted to living in the cold. It has very strong jaws that can bite through frozen meat and bone. The head is wide and rounded with small eyes and short legs with a thick glossy dark brown coat. The female are solitary animals except during the breeding season. They are notorious for raiding traps and food caches of hunters. Very territorial and do not tolerate individuals of the same sex in their territory. Wolverines can cover 60-80 km in one day even on the snow and their territory range from 300 to 500 square kilometres. Wolverines are generally nocturnal, but they are often active in the daylight hours. Considered to be a rare and vulnerable species and are under threat of extinction in Sweden. The elimination of wilderness has been a major factor in the decline of wolverine populations. Intensive human hunting of game animals and an increase in pelt prices have also contributed to the decrease. Only 100 individuals reside in northern part of Sweden.
Musk oxen are native to the Arctic area of Canada, Greenland and Alaska but they have been re-introduced in the mountains of Sweden and Norway. The Musk oxen is an arctic mammal noted for its thick coat and for the strong odour of the male. With their squat position and shaggy coat, they look like a relic from the Ice Age. The male weighs about 272 kilograms the female about 182 kilograms. Resembling bison but smaller with very long coats. Both, male and female have very large heads capped with curving horns. In the early 1900s the musk oxen were over hunted and almost disappeared. They are now protected and since 1971 a group of them have been living in Funäsdalen area and monitored by the local people.
The moose is the largest land living animal in Sweden. 
It is 2 metres in height and weighing up to 500 kilograms. The total population is around 250,000 making Sweden the country with the highest density in the world. Naturally visitors have a very good chance of seeing one in the wild, in some areas of Sweden. The moose is an herbivore and about 80% of its diet comes from trees, softwood twigs, and moor land heath plants. During the winter the moose eats 10 - 12 kg of food a day, rising to 15 - 30 kg in the summer.
The grey wolf was thought to have been exterminated in the Scandinavian Peninsula, when the sudden appearance of a few animals in southern Sweden was reported in 1980. These wolves founded a new Swedish population which currently numbers at least 100 individuals, one of the world's smallest populations of the species. The wolf is the largest member of the canine family and on average; they stand 66-81cm and weigh up to 52 kilograms.
Wolves live in packs, which are complex social structures that include the breeding adult pair, the alpha male and female and offspring. A hierarchy of dominant and subordinate animals within the pack help it to function as a unit. Wolves normally prey on large hoofed mammals such as deer and elk but occasionally prey on smaller animals such as beavers or rabbits. The wolf is a territorial animal with boundaries patrolled and defended by all adult members of the pack. Territories vary greatly in size, from 10 to 20 square miles up to more than 5,000 square miles, depending on the abundance and availability of prey.
Wolves communicate by scent-marking and vocalization, facial expressions and body postures. The Wolf also howls to communicate and can hear howls on the open tundra at a distance of 16 km, responding to the howls from a distant wolves of up to 12 km away.
Wildlife
The Coherent Predator Policy is a commitment decided by Parliament in 2001 to ensure the long-term survival of large predators in Sweden and to help man and predators to co-exist more easily.The Red Fox are most commonly a rusty red, with white underbelly, 
black tips ears and legs with a bushy tail with a distinctive white tip. The fox is an opportunistic forager, eating almost anything including berries and other plant. They capture live prey using a characteristic leap, pouncing from a distance of several feet. When landing the forepaws and nose poke directly into the snow. They are mostly nocturnal, although it will sometimes venture out in the day. The red fox, unlike other mammals can hear low frequency sounds. Capable of hearing small animals digging underground and will frequently dig in the dirt or snow to catch them. The fox stalks its prey, much like a cat. They are very common all over Sweden and one of the animals most strongly associated with Swedish nature.
The arctic hare has a white coat in the winter and grey coat in the summer. The pure white coat camouflages it against the snow and thick long hair to keep it warm. The hare has very acute hearing but has small ears, to help conserve heat. It’s large feet and toes, help the hare to travel on the snow easily. They can hop on their hind legs like kangaroos at speeds of up to 30 miles an hour. The hare also has incisors that are longer and straighter than most hares; this allows them to pull plants out from rocky crevices. They live among the rocks on hillsides where they can hide from foxes, wolves, owls and other enemies.
The lynx is classified as a mammal and is considered part of the cat family. The lynx is a large, short tailed cat with long legs, furry feet and long tufts on the tip of each ear, with a completely black tipped tail. The large broad feet function as snowshoes to aid the lynx in winter hunting and travelling. The dense soft fur is buff grey with indistinct spots. They are Sweden's only wild feline and weighs between 15 and 30 kg with population of around 1000. Like all felines, the lynx is a very skilful hunter. It catches hare, wildfowl and voles, as well as bigger animals like roe-deer and reindeer. The hare is an important prey for lynx when times are hard. They are also known to prey on deer and foxes, especially during these periods.
The lynx was declared a protected species in 1991.
The Brown Bear is one of the largest living carnivores and can grow to a huge size of up to 300kg. There are around 1000 brown bears in Sweden at present. The bear's presence in Sweden nowadays is appreciated by most people. However, its not many generations ago that both Sweden and Norway tried to exterminate them. The bear is a shy animal, so the chance of seeing one is not very great. Most often the bear will detect you first and retreat into the forest. Brown bears usually forage in the morning and evening, resting under dense vegetation during the day. Like their habitats, brown bear diets vary.
They are classic omnivores eating both meat and plants. Depending on the season, the bears may travel hundreds of kilometres during the autumn to locate food.
Hibernation lasts from around October/December to March/May.
They like to hibernate, in burrow on a sheltered slope under a large stone or among the roots of a large tree. Dens may be used repeatedly over the years.
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