Everything You Need to Know About the Walrus
The Odobenus rosmarus, also known as the walrus, can be found in various regions depending on which subspecies they belong to. There are Atlantic walruses and Pacific walruses. The Atlantic walruses live anywhere from northeastern Canada to Greenland, their counterparts in the Pacific live in areas from the Bering Sea to the Chukchi Sea during winter and migrate northwards towards the seas off of Alaska and Russia in the spring months. Walruses are known for their tusks, but they are there for more than show. Their tusks, which are actually canine teeth, are used to poke holes in the ice to hunt for food as well as to help them climb out of the water. The tusks grow throughout the walruses life, and can reach a length of about a meter. Males have larger tusks than females, and the males with the largest tusks tend to lead the herd. Walruses have a lifespan of about 20 to 30 years in the wild, and their life starts when they are born after a 15 to 16 month gestation period. This g...