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Kingdom:<\/strong> Animalia<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Phylum:<\/strong> Chordata<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Class:<\/strong> Mammalia<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Order:<\/strong> Carnivora<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Family:<\/strong> Odobenidae<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Genus and Species:<\/strong> Odobenus rosmarus<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Walruses are the only living species in their family, making them very special in the animal kingdom.<\/p>\n
Common Names<\/strong><\/h5>\n
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English: Walrus<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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In Inuit: Aiviq<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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In Russian: Morzh<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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In Yoruba: Eja agb\u1ecdn<\/em> (blubbery fish \u2013 though it\u2019s a mammal!)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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In Hausa: Kifi mai hakora<\/em> (fish with tusks)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Geographic Distribution<\/strong><\/p>\n
Walruses live in the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean and nearby seas, especially:<\/p>\n
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Canada<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Alaska (USA)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Russia<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Greenland<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Norway (Svalbard)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
They spend much of their time on ice floes or rocky beaches near shallow coastal waters.<\/p>\n
Physical Characteristics<\/strong><\/p>\n
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Size:<\/strong><\/p>\n
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Males: Up to 3.6 meters long, 1,000\u20131,500 kg<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Females: Slightly smaller<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
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Skin:<\/strong> Wrinkled, thick, and pinkish or brown<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Blubber:<\/strong> Up to 15 cm thick \u2014 for insulation and energy<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Tusks:<\/strong> Long, curved canine teeth in both males and females<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Whiskers:<\/strong> Called vibrissae, used to feel food on the ocean floor<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Free](\"https:\/\/images.stockcake.com\/public\/3\/5\/e\/35ee1c7a-074a-4c0b-bc99-f37ad66749d1_medium\/walruses-on-ice-stockcake.jpg\")
Image showing a group of walruses lounging on Arctic ice, tusks visible (Source: StockCake)<\/em><\/p>\nSpecies of Walrus<\/strong><\/p>\n
There are two main subspecies of walrus:<\/p>\n
1. Atlantic Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus<\/em>)<\/strong><\/p>\n
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Found in the North Atlantic<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Slightly smaller than Pacific walrus<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Populations are smaller and more scattered<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/i.natgeofe.com\/n\/44612e65-03e8-42c7-8129-c24b2fdbcbdb\/MM7468-090408-0293.jpg\")
Image showing an atlantic walrus on a snowy beach (Source: National Geographic)<\/em><\/p>\n2. Pacific Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens<\/em>)<\/strong><\/p>\n
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Found near Alaska and eastern Russia<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Larger body and longer tusks<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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More numerous and often seen in huge herds<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Free](\"https:\/\/images.stockcake.com\/public\/6\/7\/3\/673da62e-383a-4590-a25e-806ae5c4280c_large\/walrus-on-ice-stockcake.jpg\")
Image showing a pacific walruse on ice (Source: StockCake)<\/em><\/p>\nDiet and Feeding<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Walruses are bottom feeders, using their sensitive whiskers to find food in the muddy seafloor.<\/p>\n
What they eat:<\/strong><\/h5>\n
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Clams<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Mussels<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Worms<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Crustaceans<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Sea cucumbers<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
They suck the soft parts out of shells using powerful mouth muscles, sometimes leaving the shell behind untouched!<\/p>\n
Social Life<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Walruses are very social and gather in large herds of hundreds or thousands<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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They bellow, grunt, and roar to communicate<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Males compete for mates with loud calls and tusk displays<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Mothers are very caring, calves stay with them for up to 2 years<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Fun facts about Walruses<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Their tusks can grow over 1 meter long and are used for defense, climbing onto ice, and social rank<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Despite their size, walruses can swim gracefully and hold their breath for up to 30 minutes<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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They can sleep in the water, using inflatable throat sacs to float<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Their thick skin and blubber protect them from Arctic cold and predators<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Predators and Threats<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Polar bears and killer whales sometimes attack calves<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Humans hunted walruses for tusks, meat, and blubber in the past<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Climate change is the biggest modern threat, as sea ice melts, walruses lose their resting and birthing platforms<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Oil drilling and shipping noise also disrupt their feeding grounds<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Conservation Status<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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IUCN Status:<\/strong> Vulnerable<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Protected under laws in many Arctic countries<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Indigenous communities may hunt walruses under traditional rights, but sustainable management is key<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Conservationists are working to protect ice habitats and regulate ship traffic<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u00a0Walrus vs Seal<\/h4>\n
\n\n\n\n
\n \nFeature<\/th>\n Walrus<\/th>\n Seal<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Tusks<\/td>\n Long tusks in both sexes<\/td>\n No tusks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Size<\/td>\n Much larger<\/td>\n Smaller<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Movement on Land<\/td>\n Can walk on all fours (rotates flippers)<\/td>\n Moves by wriggling belly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Habitat<\/td>\n Arctic regions<\/td>\n Arctic to tropical regions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Social Life<\/td>\n Huge herds<\/td>\n Smaller groups or solitary<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n For animal education or marine rescue advice, you can reach out to us at Doctor Hulk Veterinary Hospital,\u00a0<\/strong>or call us through\u00a008143397614.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A walrus is a large, chunky marine mammal that spends a lot of time on the shore or in shallow<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":30753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[173],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-30021","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-w","8":"first","9":"instock","10":"shipping-taxable","11":"product-type-simple"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/30021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30021"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/30021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30869,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/30021\/revisions\/30869"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=30021"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=30021"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhulk.com\/zoopedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=30021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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