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The walrus lives in the arctic. Despite this distance range, its long tusks, deeply wrinkled skin, and bristly mustache make the walrus familiar to all. The walrus is equipped with immensely thick skin and blubber to protect it from the cold temperatures of Arctic waters. Its long tusks are not only a weapons in defense or attack, but they also serve as ice picks.
Habits: The walrus spends it days in open water near the shore or resting on ice floes. When there are no floes, it hauls out (pulls itself out of the sea) onto rocky shores, often alongside many other walruses. In limited space, walruses even lie on top of each other. Flat flippers, instead of feet enable the walrus to swim. The forelimbs serve as rudders. Out of the water the walrus can walk almost upright on all fours by turning its back flippers forward. The bumpy bottoms of the flippers help the walrus grip the ice. When the ice spreads and thickens into pack ice in the winter, walruses usually head through the thick ice to make air holes to breath through from underneath. Walruses' blubber (fat) and thick skin keep them warm in the freezing temperatures of the Arctic. Blubber may be as much as 6 inches thick.
Breeding: The large herds of walrus gather during the breeding season. The bulls fight for cows, and the largest bulls with the longest tusks usually win. Each winner will mate with several females. Birth accurs about 15 months after mating, often from april to June, as the herds are heading back north after the winter. The female heroes out of the water onto an ice floe to give birth to a single calf measuring about 50 inches. At first the calf travels by hanging onto the mother's neck. After two weeks, it is able to swim. The young walrus nurses on its mother's milk rich for a t least 18 months. At 6 months it begins to eat solid food, and after 12 months it has usually tripled in weight. Its tusks show at this age, but they are only about 1 inch long. At 24 months the calf leaves its mother and joins a herd of other young walruses. Because of the length of time that she cares for her calf, a female cannot breed more than once every two years.
Food & Feeding: The walrus gathers its main food from the seabed, including clams. cockles, mussels, shrimp, worms, sea cucumbers, and even octopuses, as well as some fish. Sometimes a large bull will eat a seal that is has been attacked with its tusks. Although it can dive as deep as 250 feet for up to 10 minutes, the walrus usually searches for food in much shallower water. The waters that the walrus feed in are often murky, so it problem uses the sensitive bristles of its mustache to locate food. It may also uncover mollusks from soft mud by squirting water from its mouth..
Walrus & Man: The Eskimos have hunted the walrus for hundreds of years. They use almost every part of the animal. Because they traditionally hunted using strong fishing lines, they did not catch enough walrus to reduce its population. Eskimos are still allowed to hunt the walrus, but now they use high powered rifles. They can kill many more walruses than they did with fishing lines. In the last 300 years commercial hunters caught so many walruses that the species almost became extinct. There are now about 250,000 walruses in the Bering Sea, but extinction is still a possibility because of their slow breeding rate and the fragile environment they live in. Even though commercial hunting is no longer allowed, the walrus is still endangered.
Key Facts: Sizes, Weight, breeding, lifestyle,
related Species
Length:
Bulls: 10 - 12 ft, A
Height: 5 ft
Weight: up to 2,000 to 3,500 lbs
Breeding:
Sexual maturity: Females 6 -7 years,
males, 15 years
Mating: January to March
Gestation: 15 months, including three
months delayed implantation
No of young Usually 1
Weaning Time: 18 - 24 months
Lifestyle:
Habit: Gregarious, living mainly in herds.
Diet: Mainly bivalve mollusks , but also
other invertebrate marine animals, fish, and sometimes seals.
Life span: 40 years or more
Distribution: The walrus is found in the
Arctic seas from Alaska to the Soviet Union.
Conservation: Over exploitation by commercial
hunters has endangered the species throughout its range. The population
has improved in the North Pacific, but those in the North Atlantic remain
threatened.
Did you know:
Odobenidae, the walrus's family name, comes from
the ancient Greek word that means "one who walks with his teeth."
The walrus turns red when it sunbathes.
The heat causes its arteries to enlarge, and the blood rushes to the skin.
When the walrus bellows, the noise sometimes
resembles the ringing of distant church bells.
The skin from a bulls neck can be 3 inches thick.
It is valued for polishing and buffing metal objects.
The longest walrus tusk ever recorded was 37
inches long and 11 inches in diameter.
The Walrus's Tusks:
Tusks are modified canine teeth that continue
to grow down from the upper jaw throughout the walrus's life. One
fifth of the tusk's length is hidden in the jaw. The maximum tusk length
for bulls is 3 ft, for cows, 2 feet. A walrus may use its tucks to get
a firm grip when hauling out on the ice or to support its head sit rests.
Tusks are used as weapons against rivals during the breeding season, and
they are used as a status symbol in the herd.
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