The name walrus rather appropriately means “whale-horse.” This large sea mammal of the Arctic can reach a length of about 12 feet (3.7 meters) and a weight of more than 2,600 pounds (1,200 kilograms). The walrus is closely related to the seals, but it can be told apart by its tusks. In an adult male, these enlarged teeth may be as many as 3 feet (1 meter) long.

Where walrus live

Walrus live only in the Arctic seas of Europe, Asia, and North America. One group, the Atlantic walrus, is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean south to Labrador. A second group, the Pacific walrus, lives in the northern Pacific from the Bering Sea to south of Alaska's Pribilof Islands. The only difference between the two groups is size—the North Pacific walrus is larger. Walrus spend time both in water and on land. Out of the water, they can often be seen in large numbers together on floating sheets of ice or on rocky islands.

Physical features

Walrus have rounded heads, small eyes, and no visible ears. Above the upper lip are stiff whiskers resembling a heavy mustache. Wrinkled, grayish-brown skin falls in deep folds over the shoulders. They are covered with short, reddish hair. A thick layer of fat below the skin, called blubber, keeps the walrus warm. Both males and females have tusks, though a male's are longer and thicker.

Behavior

Walrus are social animals, meaning that they live and travel in groups. They spend nearly their entire life at sea, usually in fairly shallow water. Despite their size, they move swiftly and gracefully in the water. Walrus climb onto ice or rocky islands to rest and to mate and give birth. Like sea lions and fur seals, walrus can turn their hind flippers forward under their bodies when on land to waddle about on all four limbs.

Walrus feed mostly on mollusks such as clams. They dig or scrape food from the muddy seafloor with their tusks and shovel it into their mouth with their whiskers. A walrus may also use its tusks for fighting and pulling its body up onto land.

Walrus can bellow and make a trumpeting sound like that of an elephant. This noise is often heard during the mating season, which takes place in February and March. The female usually gives birth to a single young, called a calf, between April and June of the following year. The calf weighs about 140 pounds (64 kilograms) at birth and remains with the mother for about two years.

Walrus hunting

The Inuit (Eskimo) have hunted walrus for centuries. They eat the meat and use the bones, tusks, and hide for tools, shelters, boats, and clothing. In the 1800s, however, people from other regions began large-scale hunting of walrus for their ivory tusks, hide, and blubber, which contains useful oil. By the early 20th century the survival of the walrus was seriously threatened. Restrictions placed on walrus hunting helped the Pacific walrus make a comeback in the late 20th century. The number of Atlantic walrus was much smaller, however.