Walrus

The walrus is a very big sea animal.

It lives in the cold Arctic waters. Both males and females have long white tusks. They use these tusks to help them climb onto ice.

These animals have many stiff whiskers. The whiskers help them feel for food. They stay warm with a thick layer of fat. This fat is called blubber.

Walruses are very smart and like to live in groups. It is amazing how they live in the ice!

The walrus is a large sea mammal.

It lives near the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean. There are two types of walrus. The Atlantic walrus lives in the Atlantic Ocean. The Pacific walrus lives in the Pacific Ocean.

Both males and females have long tusks. These tusks are actually long teeth called canines. They can grow to be 1 meter long. Walruses use their tusks to climb onto ice. They also use them to make holes in the ice.

A walrus has many stiff whiskers. We call these whiskers vibrissae. These whiskers are very sensitive. They help the walrus feel the shape of food on the sea floor.

Walruses stay warm in cold water using blubber. Blubber is a thick layer of fat under the skin. It also gives them power. Walruses are very social and smart animals. They often live in large groups.

The walrus is a huge marine mammal living near the North Pole.

These animals live in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas. They are part of a group called pinnipeds. This group includes true seals and eared seals. The walrus is the only living member of its own family, Odobenidae. There are two main types, or subspecies, of walrus. The Atlantic walrus lives in the Atlantic Ocean. The Pacific walrus lives in the Pacific Ocean.

Walruses have a very special way of finding food. They spend much of their time on sea ice. They look for small creatures called bivalve molluscs on the ocean floor.

To find them, they use their whiskers, or vibrissae. These are stiff bristles that are very sensitive to touch. They can feel the shape and size of things in the dark water. Walruses also use their long tusks to help them. They use these tusks to climb out of the water onto ice. They even use them to make breathing holes in the ice.

People have known about walruses for a very long time. The name might come from old Germanic languages. One idea is that it means "horse-whale."

In the 1500s, maps showed these animals in Scandinavia. Long ago, the walrus family was much larger. It once had at least twenty different species. Now, the walrus is the only one left from that group. Scientists think they evolved from ancestors that lived in warmer places. These ancestors moved to the cold Arctic a long time ago.

Walruses are very large and heavy animals.

A large Pacific male can weigh more than 1,500 kilograms. Most walruses weigh between 800 and 1,300 kilograms. They stay warm in freezing water using blubber. Blubber is a thick layer of fat under the skin. This fat can be up to 10 centimeters thick. It also provides stored energy for the animal. Both males and females have tusks. These tusks are actually long canine teeth. They can grow up to 1 meter long.

Learning about walruses helps us understand the Arctic. They are a keystone species, which means they are very important to their home.

Many indigenous Arctic peoples have lived alongside walruses for a long time. They have used the meat, fat, and skin for many things. In the 1800s and early 1900s, people hunted them for ivory and leather. This caused their numbers to drop very quickly. Today, the populations are starting to grow back. However, some groups are still much smaller than they were in the past.

The walrus, scientifically known as *Odobenus rosmarus*, is a massive marine mammal. It belongs to the order Carnivora. It is also a pinniped, which is a group of sea-dwelling mammals.

The walrus is unique because it is the only living member of the family Odobenidae. This family was once much larger and more diverse. It once included at least twenty different species. Today, the walrus is a relict species, meaning it is the last survivor of its lineage. Walruses are considered a keystone species in the Arctic. This means they play a vital role in their marine ecosystem.

Walruses live in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas. They prefer shallow waters located above the continental shelves.

Most of their life is spent on sea ice or in the water. They search for food on the ocean floor. They specifically look for benthic bivalve molluscs, which are shell-based animals living in the sediment. To find these, they use a specialized feeding mechanism involving suction. They also use their highly sensitive whiskers, called vibrissae, to feel for prey. These bristles are attached to muscles and nerves. They can detect the shape and size of objects in the dark.

There are two recognized subspecies of the walrus. The first is the Atlantic walrus, *O. r. rosmarus*. It lives in the Atlantic Ocean. The second is the Pacific walrus, *O. r. divergens*. It lives in the Pacific Ocean.

These two groups have fixed genetic differences. This suggests they do not mix much. Scientists believe they separated about 500,000 to 785,000 years ago. Some researchers once thought there was a third subspecies in the Laptev Sea. However, most now agree that group is actually of Pacific origin.

Evolutionary history shows that walruses have changed greatly over millions of years. Genetic evidence suggests they descended from a caniform ancestor. This ancestor was closely related to modern bears. The odobenids and otariids separated from phocids about 20 to 26 million years ago. The modern walrus likely evolved from a tropical or subtropical ancestor. As these ancestors moved north, they adapted to much colder conditions.

This adaptation included the development of thick blubber for warmth.

Walruses are among the largest pinnipeds in the world. They are only smaller than the two species of elephant seals.

Most walruses weigh between 800 and 1,300 kilograms. However, some large Pacific males can weigh more than 1,500 kilograms. The Atlantic subspecies is generally 10 to 20 percent smaller than the Pacific subspecies. Females are also smaller, weighing about two-thirds as much as males. To stay warm, they use a layer of blubber under their skin. This fat can be up to 10 centimeters thick.

One of the most famous features of the walrus is its tusks. These are actually elongated canine teeth. Both males and females have them. They can reach 1 meter in length and weigh up to 5.4 kilograms.

Males have thicker and longer tusks. They use them for fighting and social dominance. Walruses also use tusks to help them climb onto ice. They can even use them to maintain breathing holes in the ice. While they were once thought to be digging tools, research shows they actually drag through sediment. The snout is used for the actual digging.

Human history is closely tied to the walrus. Many indigenous Arctic peoples have used the animal for meat, fat, skin, and bone.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, hunting increased significantly. People hunted them for blubber, leather, and ivory. This caused the population to drop rapidly across the Arctic. While populations have rebounded somewhat, some groups remain at low levels. The name "walrus" likely comes from Germanic languages. It may mean "horse-whale" in Old Norse. The scientific name *Odobenus* comes from Greek words meaning "tooth-walker." This describes how they use their tusks to pull themselves out of the water.