Ocean Creatures of the Arctic By: Puaolena Ke

Where does the animal live? Walruses spend about two-thirds of their lives in the water. Walruses are adapted to a habitat of sea ice and prefer snow-covered moving pack ice or ice floes to land. They haul out on small rocky islands when ice is not present.

What does the animal eat? Walruses eat mainly clams. Walruses also eat bivalves. Walruses eat the remains of young seals when food is scarce.

What they eat! Adult walruses eat about 4.2% to 6.2% of their total body weight per day. Walruses fill their stomachs twice daily. Walruses eat 3,000 to 6,000 clams at a single feeding.

Describe how they look?  Flippers are hairless.  Skin on flippers are thick and rough, helps them on land and ice.  Flippers used to swim and walk  Rounded body shape.  Cinnamon-brown skin color.

How do they LOOK?  Calf’s weight lbs. at birth  Male 8ft-11ft. Female 7ft-9ft  Male 3,300 lb. Female 2,200  Head is square with tusks and whiskers.  18 teeth the top canine teeth are ivory tusks.  They have very small eyes and ears.  The ears are located behind the eyes.

Interesting Facts  Both male and female walruses have tusks  Average lifespan in the wild: Up to 40 years  A walrus can move on land as fast as a man run.

How does the animal communicate? Walruses produce sounds both above and below water. They produce growls, taps, knocks, grunts, barks, soft whistles, rasps, and clicks. Male walruses produce bell-like sounds below water. Calves bellow if disturbed.