Fun Facts About the Walrus
These chubby marine mammals are instantly recognizable, but what do you really know about them? Get to know the walrus with these fun and fascinating facts.
Basic Facts About the Walrus
A walrus is a mammal, which means it has fur and nurses its young.
Unlike most mammals, the walrus is semi-aquatic, which means it spends half its time in the water and half on land.
They live in the Northern Hemisphere and swim in the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean.
Walruses live in northern Canada, Greenland, Alaska, Siberia, and Scandinavia.
Walruses are instantly recognizable because of their large bodies (males can weigh more than 4000 pounds) and long tusks.
They eat various sea creatures, such as shrimp, crabs, clams, and seaworms. They even eat fish if they can catch them!
Now that you know some basic facts about the walrus, let’s dive into the icy waters to learn some walrus fun facts!
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Fun Facts About the Walrus
Here are some fun facts about the walrus. Some are surprising!
Walruses Are Pinnipeds
Humans are bipeds, which means we have two feet.
Walruses are pinnipeds (just like seals). This means their feet are flippers.
They propel themselves through the water with their powerful hind flippers.
On land, they tuck those flippers under their bodies to scoot around (like modified feet).
Their front flippers allow them to prop themselves up on land.
In the water, the front flippers steer their bodies through the water.
Walrus Means “Horse Whale”
The word “walrus” comes from Old Norse, the language of the Vikings.
“Hvalr” means whale in Old Norse. This likely refers to the walrus’s large size and the fact that it swims in the water like a whale.
“Hross” is Old Norse for “horse.”
Put them together and you get “havlr-hross,” which the Dutch pronounced “wal-ros.”
Baby Walruses Weigh Over 100 Pounds
Male walruses weigh over 4000 pounds, so it is no surprise that even an infant walrus is quite heavy.
Newborn walruses weigh anywhere between 70 and 190 pounds.
Why do walruses weigh so much? Under their skin, they have a lot of body fat, called blubber, that keeps them warm and provides fuel when they can’t source food.
Surprisingly, walruses are not the heaviest pinnipeds. The elephant seal surpasses them (they can weigh over 8000 pounds!).
Walruses Hear Better Than They Can See
Walruses are slow swimmers who feed on tiny sea life (their favorite food is clams). They nose around the muddy ocean floor.
Because of this, walruses do not need to have excellent vision.
They do, however, hear very well.
Although they are hardly noticeable, walruses have small ears. Their ears are holes on the side of their head with small protective flaps.
They can hear noises a mile away underwater.
This is a life-saving skill because they need to hear the cries of their young and detect their predators.
The natural predators of the walrus are polar bears and sometimes orcas.
Humans also kill walruses for their fat, meat, fur, and tusks.
In the US, they are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It is illegal to harass, hunt, capture, or kill a walrus.
Walrus Tusks Are Useful Teeth
Walrus tusks are actually long teeth. They are their canines (just like the pointy teeth you have in your mouth).
Walruses use their tusks for different reasons.
Males use their tusks to fight one another for dominance. They also display their tusks to females in hopes of attracting them.
All adult walruses have tusks, even the females. They serve practical purposes like helping them dig through the ocean mud to find clams, snails, and crabs.
They can also use their tusks to poke holes in the polar ice, allowing them to dive in and out of the water below.
Tusks also help them climb out from the ice hole, grabbing the ice as they heave their bodies out of the water.
Walrus Whiskers Are Sensitive
Walruses have a very whiskered face. An adult walrus has between 500 to 700 whiskers on its face.
These stiff whiskers, called vibrissae, serve a purpose.
They hunt along the ocean floor, nose to the ground. They squirt water out of their noses to unearth buried prey.
Their whiskers are highly sensitive and can detect even tiny marine creatures in the sediment.
They can detect creatures as small as 1/8 inch wide!
Walruses Can Sleep in the Water
Walruses have air sacs in their throat that they can fill with up to 13 gallons of air!
These inflated sacs will keep their heads above water even while they sleep.
To avoid drifting too much while they sleep, walruses sometimes hook their tusks on an ice flow to stay in place.
Walrus Babies Are Called Calves
A baby walrus is called a calf (or sometimes a pup).
A female walrus is called a cow.
A male walrus is called a bull.
A group of walruses is called a herd.
Walruses Protect Their Young
Both male and female walruses fiercely protect their young.
If a predator (like a polar bear) approaches, a female walrus will tuck her calf between her front flippers or let the baby ride on her back.
Females and their calves also gather in “nursery herds” to protect the young as a group and look out for one another.
Walruses Are the Noisiest Pinnipeds
Walruses can make a wide range of vocalizations, such as grunts, growls, knocks, clicks, whistles, and rasps.
Adult male walruses will bellow when they swim underwater. They make this sound using the air sacs on either side of their throat.
They do this to attract females during mating season.
Read More About Walruses
These walrus fun facts are only the tip of the iceberg! Check out these books about walruses.
Walruses of the Arctic
This book has lots of photos and facts about walruses. It is suitable for kids in elementary school.
Walrus Songs
This charming picture book explains the sounds the walrus makes and why. The glossary at the back contains fun facts about the walrus.
The World of the Walrus
This book is best for high schoolers and adults who want to know more about the walrus. It is over 100 pages of photos and information.
Walrus Fun Facts
Now that you have learned some fun facts about the walrus, you can marvel at these amazing semi-aquatic mammals.
These incredible creatures are immensely fascinating!
