This month’s article series will be about…
Svalbard! Svalbard is an archipelago close to the north pole. It is currently owned by the country of Norway. It is approximately 366.83 Nautical/Marine miles (422.140425 miles or 679.36916 Kilometers) from mainland Norway. It is incredibly close to the north pole & has frigid conditions often. It is quite hard for any marine life at all to survive here, however a few types of marine mammals have learned to survive in this climate. One of those marine species is known as the Walrus. The walrus is a marine mammal that primarily lives in the Arctic Ocean & the Northern Atlantic. It often does not interact with humans or other species besides prey. In this article, we will discuss the life of the Walrus, the mating procedures, tactics, practices, & cycles of the Walrus, the distribution of the Walrus, the scientific detailing of the Walrus & the migration of the Walrus. With that being said, let’s delve into the Walrus.
The Life Of The Common Atlantic Walrus
Walruses were first documented as discovered in 1534. They were discovered by Jacques Cartier in the Cape Breton islands. They were documented as being in large herds. However, they were extirpated from those areas over the course of the 17th & 18th centuries. This was mainly done by European whalers. The males are usually between 9-12 feet long (2.7432 to 3.6576 meters) the females are 7.5-10 (2.286 to 3.048 meters) feet long. The males weigh up to 2 tons (4,000 pounds or 1814.369 kilograms) while the female will weigh up to 1 ton (2,000 pounds or 907.1847 kilograms). The calf will weigh approximately 130 pounds (58.967 kilograms) at birth regardless of gender. Its current documented life span is up to 40 years. The females fully mature at approximately 6 to 7 years old. Walruses are incredibly intelligent & can form emotional bonds with one another. They are also very social creatures who live in large herds. They have existed for roughly 6.5 million years. They are not often aggressive towards humans or each other unless provoked. However sometimes they do cause the sinking of boats by ripping the sides with their tusks. They capsized many boats. They do not interact with humans often. They will most likely look you over to see if you pose a threat. Male walruses are often territorial however the females often are not. They often eat fish, small crustaceans, shellfish, & sea cucumbers. Adult Walruses can eat anywhere from 3% to 6% of their total body fat in a single day. They eat twice a day & can eat up to 6,000 clams in one feeding session. They are not cannibalistic in any form. Their metabolism has been documented to change as a result of climate change. Their metabolism now steadily growing higher. This will most likely continue as climate change happens. They do not have very many natural predators due to their size, tusks & choice of habitat. The only 2 main natural predators that they have are Polar Bears & Killer whales. They are currently classified as Vulnerable under the IUCN red list. This indicates that their population is declining but not at a rapid rate. It is estimated there are currently 250,000 Walruses currently left on Earth. Walruses are strong-bodied & have a very thick, tough hide that can be an inch thick. The most distinctive feature of walruses, both male and female, is their two ivory tusks, which are long upper canine teeth that grow throughout the walrus’s life. The actual purpose of these tusks is so that the walrus can use them to penetrate the ice in order to heave themselves out of water. They also use it to poke holes in the ice in order to create breathing holes so they don’t lose oxygen. They are very rarely found in deep water & tend to stay aboard ice floats or on the surface of the water. Humans tend to not capture these creatures alive, instead they mostly kill them before they take them for their purposed.
The Mating Cycles, Procedures, Practices, & Tactics Of The Common Atlantic Walrus
Walruses mate via sexual reproduction. They breed most often in the water however occasionally they have been observed to mate on land. They are seen to be monogamous as during the mating season the female will only mate with one male. However, this could just mean that the females are monogamous to a different male every mating season. The males will mate with many different females every mating season. They are not hermaphroditic usually however occasionally some due appear with male & female organs. Male walruses also have penis bones. These bones can reach a meter long. The females do give birth through live birth. Their current known gestation period is 15-16 months. The females reach sexual maturity at approximately 6-7 years old. The females don’t produce children until about 10 years of age. The males reach full maturity at 10-14 years old. They do not appear to have a specific age at which fertility is the highest. The females will have a baby every 2 to 4 mating seasons after reaching maturity. They usually have 1 baby every pregnancy however twins are possible. However, having twins is somewhat uncommon in the arctic populations of walruses. The baby walrus will be kept with the mother. The mother will protect her calf very aggressively, she will also have her calf ride on her back through the water in order to be safe from potential threats.
The Distribution Of The Common Atlantic Walrus
There are 2 main species of walruses. The Laptev walrus is currently questioned as to its status as a walrus. However, we will only be discussing the Atlantic walrus, not the Pacific walrus. Atlantic walruses are commonly found in most northern areas of the world. They are found in the northern territories & in Nunavut which both belong to Canada. They are also commonly found in the areas around northeastern & northwestern Greenland. On & around the archipelago of Svalbard they are found in high concentrations. They usually stick to colder temperatures, this is most likely due to their physical build which has a lot of blubber. In any other environment that is not in these northern areas, their blubber can cause severe overheating. These areas are also heavily protected under international fishing laws which provide a kind of safe haven. They are not found in Alaska or near Alaskan areas. They are also not found in Iceland. They are not found in mainland Russia, however, they are found in the Russian archipelago of Novaya Zemlya. In these areas, they are mostly left alone by humans which is why they are now observed in such high quantities.
The 2 maps shown above depict the areas in which Atlantic walruses are documented.
The Scientific Detailing Of The Common Atlantic Walrus
Walruses are some of the most interesting creatures due to one unique aspect, their tusks. Walruses have huge canines that stick out of their mouths that we know as tusks. The exact use of these is to haul themselves out of the water by penetrating the ice. This will be touched on later in this section of the article. It is not documented how many bones they have. Their molars are rather flat & stubby in order to grind crustaceans. This can also be observed in manatees. Their tusks are their only sharp teeth & they are not meant for hunting purposes. They usually do not eat very large animals which is why their teeth are meant for grinding. The Arctic population is not often documented to be born with abnormalities in their bones or their organs. The males do have 2 specialized organs that help them attract a mate. They have 2 air sacs which are located in the upper chest & head which they can inflate on demand. This organ is only found in the males. Common Atlantic walruses today as we know them evolved from land animals. This can modernly be seen by their ability to crawl at high speeds on land. At the time of publishing their scientific name is Odobenus Rosmarus. Their phylum is known as Chordata meaning that they developed these 5 characteristics all species under the phylum of chordata develop 5 similar characteristics either in adulthood or as juveniles. Over 60,000 species are categorized under Chordata at the time of publishing. The characteristics that they develop include, a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal Slits, & a post-anal tail. Their class is known as Mammalia. Mammalia is classified by the production of milk by the mother for their child to nurse, a neocortex which is a region of the brain, some capacity for fur or hair, & three middle ear bones. Their order is Carnivora which is a monophyletic order of placental mammals. These mammals have all evolved in ways to specialize in eating fish. This order is the 5th largest order of mammals & has at the time of publishing, at least 279 species categorized under it. Their clade is Pinnipedia, meaning they are Pinnipeds. Pinnipeds are a heavily distributed & extremely diverse clade of semiaquatic species & marine mammals. Their family is known as Obodenidae. Obodenidae is a diverse family of pinnipeds, however, the only living species classified under this is the Walrus. Their genus is Odobenus.
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