8 toothy and fun facts about the atlantic walrus
Atlantic Walruses are pretty cute animals that reside in the arctic and sub-arctic regions of the planet. Generally, there are three species of them, but you can mostly find Atlantic Walruses now. You can find them in Greenland and Svalbard during the Arctic cruise season.
These large species with massive flippers, enormous tusks, and long whiskers are all things happy and playful. But what else should you know about them? Well, there are plenty of things to be precise!
Let us help you unleash the most amazing facts about the Atlantic Walrus to make you interact with them right away!
Toothy and Fun Facts About the Atlantic Walrus
- Walruses can change colors
Typically, Walruses are cinnamon-brown. When they are warm, this color may change to white or pink depending on the temperature. No, Walruses are not magical creatures.
They possess the ability to regulate the temperature mechanism. It also occurs to help them vary their blood supply to the periphery of their bodies sometimes. We wonder how interesting it may become to watch this happen in front of our eyes.
- Their tusks keep growing
Both male and female walruses have enormous tusks. However, the Pacific Walruses have more prominent tusks than the Atlantic ones. The male Walrus usually have more prominent tusks than the female. It helps them to distinguish between age, sex, and social status as well.
They use their tusks to break the ice and come out of water when in need. They may also use their tusks to defend themselves and fight during the breeding season.
- Their diet is creepy
Walruses are carnivores, and their diet isn’t likely to make your mouth water. These animals like to hunt for worms and prey on molluscs, gastropods, sea cucumbers, cephalopods, and more.
Occasionally, they may also indulge in fish-eating and hunting bearded seals. Many of them also love to eat benthic invertebrates and Crustaceans. One of the most favorite Walrus foods has to be clams, though. So, the food they eat also depends on where they are.
- They can eat up to 3,000 to 6,000 clams.
Did you know that walruses could eat up to 3,000 to 6,000 clams per day? Yes, that is how massively they can go on to eat if they get their favorite good. Oh, and how can we forget about how they also eat 3% to 6% of their total body weight daily? If you feel like throwing up right now, we are with you!
- They breed on the pack ice
When the female Walrus becomes pregnant, she leaves the herd for some time to reside in the pack ice and give birth to the young. Once the young Walrus is born, she fasts for a few days in May.
This is the time when they rely on body fat for energy. Later, when the mother and the young return to the herd, the female Walrus starts feeding again. During this time and forth, the young Walrus begin to drink their mother’s low-fat milk.
- They use their whiskers for food
The Walrus’s whiskers are attached to the muscles and get blood along with nerves. That is why they are susceptible. So, when looking for their prey, whiskers help them hunt more precisely and locate their food.
So, they use their nose to track on the sea floors and squirt water out of their nostrils to stir up burrowing prey. Thus, their whiskers can be very helpful for them especially when they are starving for food.
- Walruses can move as fast as running humans
If you thought that these cute animals would move like turtles, you are wrong. They can move surprisingly fast on land. They can move so fast that they can be as good as running human beings on the ground. However, walruses may swim at 7km per hour underwater but can speed up to 35km per hour when in need.
- The herd is generally separated by sex
Among all other unique features about Atlantic walruses, you will be shocked to know that they are separated by sex. Yes, walruses may separate from their herd according to sex, as females may sometimes breed on pack ice.
However, they are good at socializing and can gather in hundreds during sunbathing. It is only during the mating season that they become a bit hesitant to mix. This is when the males become a bit dominant over a harem of female walruses.
The Bottom Line
Atlantic Walruses are unique, strong, and interesting animals that can live up to 20 to 30 years. In many cases, they may even live for as long as 40 years. But due to climate change, their lifespan and habitat are both in danger. As a result, several fascinating walruses are now vulnerable to extinction which is a massive concern globally. We hope to beat this problem as soon as possible.
