Welcome to All About Walruses
Known for their large tusks, walruses or Odobenus rosmarus, are large semi-aquatic mammals found in the cold regions of the Arctic. There are two subspecies of walrus, and these are Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus found in the Atlantic, Odobenus r. divergens found in the Pacific, and another that is considered a third sub-species by some, the Odobenus r. laptevi of the Laptev Sea. The walruses of the Pacific are the larger of the walrus family with males topping the scale up to 4,500 lbs. The Atlantic walruses have a max weight of about 3,500 lbs. Though the name walrus is derived from the Dutch words for whale (walvis_, the walrus is by no means related to the whales.
Members of the order Carnnivora and of the suborder Pinnipedia, walruses are the only members in the family Odobenidae, whose root words come from the Greek Odus, meaning tooth and baino meaning walk. Most likely, this description comes from the observations made that walruses seem to walk out of the water using their tusks thus the name walking tooth.
Walruses are social animals, usually gathering in large herds. They may dive up to a depth of 300 ft. and can stay underwater for half an hour. The main food staple of walruses are clams, though they also feed on crabs, tube worms, shrimp, soft coral, sea cucumbers and various mollusks. Only two animals are considered as the walrus’s natural enemies, these are the orca and polar bear. Walruses use their tusks for fighting, show of dominance, and are sometimes used to make holes in the ices or to anchor themselves on ice.