The Walrus: Life, Adaptations, and Survival in the Arctic

The walrus, also known as the sea horse, belongs to the category of marine carnivores, which also includes seals, sea lions, and elephant seals. Unlike fish, which lay eggs, these creatures are warm-blooded mammals. They give birth to live young and nurse them until they grow independent. The scientific name is “pinnipeds,” meaning “fin-footed.” Their limbs resemble fins, similar to their fish neighbors, enabling them to glide through the water with impressive speed and grace. They can dive as deep as 90 meters and remain underwater for up to half an hour. On land, however, they are clumsy, dragging their heavy bodies forward since their “legs” are really just fins.

Two Teeth, But What Teeth!

Walruses are famous for their two long tusks, which are elongated upper canine teeth. These tusks can reach up to 60 cm in length and weigh about 4 kilograms each. They are longer in males than in females. An adult walrus can grow over 3.3 meters long and weigh as much as 1,200 kilograms.

Living in the icy Arctic, the walrus comes equipped with a natural “diving suit”: skin about 7 cm thick, hairless, with a thick layer of blubber beneath to protect it from the extreme cold. Walruses feed on crabs, shellfish, and other small marine creatures. Using their tusks, they dig into the seabed and pry out clams and snails. Their strong inner teeth can crack shells, but they cannot chew them. Instead, they swallow both flesh and shells, later digesting the meat and expelling the shells and waste.

Their bulky bodies are covered with dark, wrinkled skin, and their faces sport a bristly mustache beneath their impressive tusks. While their eyesight is not sharp, their sense of smell is excellent. In the vast Arctic sea, this allows them to detect predators from far away.

Social but Easily Disturbed

Walruses are highly social animals, living in large family groups that can number up to 100 individuals. They often gather on rocky shores or floating ice to bask in the weak Arctic sun. Generally peaceful, they can become aggressive if disturbed. A walrus awakened suddenly from its nap on the ice may lash out angrily, striking a nearby companion with its tusks. Such quarrels may turn into scuffles, but they rarely last long before calm returns to the herd.

Fierce Mothers and Loyal Defenders

Spring is a joyful season in walrus colonies. A walrus mother is deeply devoted to her calf and will risk her life to protect it. Calves often ride on their mothers’ backs, even in the water. By age two, the calf’s tusks are strong enough to dig into the seabed for food, and it is weaned from its mother’s milk, ready to fend for itself.

On land, their main predator is the polar bear. Walruses defend themselves and their young fiercely, brandishing their tusks at approaching bears. A polar bear usually tries to avoid direct confrontation, circling cautiously in hopes of snatching a helpless calf. Most often, the walrus prevails, leaving the bear wounded and retreating in defeat.

At sea, however, their greatest danger is the killer whale (orca). A lone walrus might manage to defend itself, but against a pod of orcas, it rarely stands a chance.

Hunted by Humans

Beyond natural predators, humans have long been a threat. The Inuit of Alaska and surrounding regions hunt about 3,000 walruses each year, using their meat for food and their fat and skin for shelter and clothing. Walrus hide is strong enough to build tents and blankets, while their ivory tusks are carved into tools, ornaments, and jewelry.

Today, U.S. and Canadian laws limit hunting by non-Inuit people and ban the export of walrus ivory. Even so, the population has dwindled. Only about 15,000 Atlantic walruses remain, living in the Arctic waters of Canada, Russia, and Greenland. In the past, their numbers were far greater.