Species Guide
Walruses
Massive Arctic pinnipeds recognized by their long ivory tusks, dense whiskers, and thick blubber layer.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Carnivora
- Genus
- Odobenus
- Species
- O. rosmarus
Quick Facts
- Other Names
- Tooth Walkers
- Male Size
- 9–11 ft, up to 3,700 lbs
- Female Size
- 7–10 ft, up to 2,700 lbs
- Lifespan
- Up to 40 years
- Diet
- Carnivore (mollusks)
- Status
- Endangered
Habitat & Range
Walruses are circumpolar: the Pacific walrus inhabits the Bering, Chukchi, and Laptev seas, while the Atlantic walrus lives along the coasts of northeastern Canada and Greenland. They favor shallow water no more than about 262 feet deep, hauling out on ice floes, pack ice, and small rocky islands.
Diet & Senses
Walruses are carnivores that primarily eat clams, snails, mussels, worms, and sea cucumbers found on the sea floor — hungry walruses will occasionally go after larger prey like seals. They locate food by feeling along the ocean floor with their sensitive whiskers, and have a well-developed sense of smell, though their eyesight is less acute than other pinnipeds' — unnecessary for a mostly bottom-dwelling animal.
Did You Know?
Behavior & Life Cycle
Both male and female walruses grow tusks — elongated canines that can reach up to 3 feet long, typically longer in males — used for hauling out onto ice, fighting, and dominance displays. Gestation lasts 15–16 months, including a 3–4 month period of delayed implantation, the lowest reproductive rate of any pinniped. Calves weigh 99–156 lbs at birth and are weaned around age two. Walruses are highly social, gathering in herds, and communicate with growls, grunts, barks, whistles, and clicks both above and below water.
Conservation Status
Walruses are listed as endangered, with an estimated 200,000 Pacific walruses and fewer than 20,000 Atlantic walruses remaining. They typically live up to 40 years, with polar bears and orcas as their main natural predators.
Subspecies
- Atlantic Walrus
- Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus — NE Canada, Greenland
- Pacific Walrus
- Odobenus rosmarus divergens — Bering, Chukchi seas
- Laptev Sea Walrus
- Odobenus rosmarus laptevi — disputed as separate subspecies
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