Massive Arctic pinnipeds with iconic tusks (used for hauling out, breaking ice, and dominance displays). Their fate is tied directly to summer sea-ice — and Arctic sea-ice is in fast retreat.

Also called: Walrus, Aiviq (Inupiaq)

Native status: Native; vulnerable due to climate change

§ Quick facts

SizeBody 2.7–3.6 m (9–12 ft) males; 2.3–3.1 m females; tusks to 1 m
WeightMales 800–1,800 kg (1,800–4,000 lb); females 400–1,250 kg
LifespanWild typically 30–40 years
OrderCarnivora
FamilyOdobenidae

§ Encyclopedia

The walrus is a large pinniped marine mammal with discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only extant species in the family Odobenidae and genus Odobenus. This species is subdivided into two subspecies: the Atlantic walrus, which lives in the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific walrus, which lives in the Pacific Ocean.

Source: Wikipedia — Walrus Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

§ Identification

Field marks. Massive cinnamon-brown pinniped with thick wrinkled skin; long ivory tusks (both sexes, longer in males); stiff sensory whiskers on broad muzzle.

Similar species. Atlantic Walrus (subspecies; different range, slightly different tusks). Sea lions and seals (much smaller, no tusks).

Voice. Bell-like underwater calls; loud grunts, growls, and bellowing barks on land.

§ Diet & behavior

Diet. Clams (primary; up to 6,000 per feeding bout), other bivalves, sea cucumbers, marine worms, snails. Vacuums clams from sediment with powerful suction.

Behavior. Largest of three walrus subspecies. Highly social — hauls out by the thousands on sea ice and remote coastlines. Climate change is causing loss of summer sea ice over the productive shallow continental shelf where walruses feed, forcing them to crowd onto coastal beaches in unprecedented numbers — single beaches with 35,000+ animals have caused stampede deaths of younger walruses.

§ Range

Bering and Chukchi Seas (Alaska, Russia)

§ Habitat

Pack ice and shallow continental shelf waters

§ Threats

Loss of summer pack ice forcing massive haulouts on land (where stampedes kill calves), industrial development, oil spills.

§ Conservation status

According to the IUCN Red List, the pacific walrus is currently classified as Vulnerable.

§ What helps

Support Arctic conservation policy. Reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Donate to Native Village of Diomede subsistence research.

Support our work More ways to help

§ Further reading

§ Sources cited

  • USGS Pacific Walrus Research
  • NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center
  • Eskimo Walrus Commission
  • IUCN Red List 2016