Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure

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Fast Facts:

You'll find this walrus in our museum polar exhibit.
The long tusks, deeply wrinkled skin and bristly mustache make the walrus a very distinctive animal.
The thick skin and blubber of a walrus protects him from the cold. The blubber can be up to 6 inches thick.
It can dive up to 250 feet for 10 minutes.

Walrus

Scientific Name:	Odobenus rosmarus
Classification:	Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Pinnipedia Family: Odobenida
Status:	Endangered
Range:	Arctic Seas from Alaska to the Soviet Union
Habitat:	Seasonal ice packs and the coast.
Diet:	Marine animals, fish, seals, mollusks
Size:	Height: 5 feet Length: 10-12 feet Weight: 2,000-3,500 pounds
Lifespan:	40 yrs.
Location:
Print Fact Sheet	Walrus

Special Features:

The thick skin and blubber of a walrus protects him from the cold. The blubber can be up to 6 inches thick.
His long tusks are modified canine teeth and act as weapons for defense and attack, and ice picks to help him climb.
The walrus spends his days in open water near the coast or ice floes.
They have flat flippers instead of feet to help them swim. The forelimbs serve as rudders. Out of the water the walrus walks upright by turning its back flippers forward.
The bumpy bottoms of the flippers help him grasp the ice.
Since the water is usually murky, the walrus uses his whiskers to locate food.
The walrus turns red when it sunbathes because its arteries enlarge and the blood rushes to the skin.

Social Structure & Behavior:

Reproduction:
Sexual maturity in females 6-7 years, in males 15 years. Gestation is 15 months including 3 months delayed implantation. A single birth occurs. The calf travels by hanging on to the cow's neck. After 2 weeks, it is able to swim. Weaned at 18-24 months. The calf begins to grow tusks at 1 year old.