I am a Walrus

I am a Walrus 

Not to be confused with the Beatles hit song I Am The Walrus which is a catchy song that is a bit fantastical and psychedelic.

I suggest you give it a listen as it’s a Beatles song that enlightens the senses and has you coming back for more.

It’s up there with Octopuses Garden, another hit song by the 4 lads from Liverpool.

There is one species of walrus and two subspecies, Atlantic walrus and Pacific walrus.

The walrus is a marine mammal known as a pinniped and is included among seals, sea lions and walruses. 

The walrus like his counterparts can live on land and in the ocean.

They live most of their lives in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. 

Walruses are social animals that live in large groups of hundreds and there is a hierarchy and separation of males and females to their respective herds. 

Walruses do mate but since males and females live in separate groups the males will fight for the honor of mating with several females and then the sole male will go back to his life separated from the herd.  

Walruses live in the northern hemisphere and penguins live in the southern hemisphere but they both navigate icy waters and can rest on ice formations.

Walruses drifting on the ice to rest must seek solid ice that can withstand their weight.

Walruses range in size from 7 to 12 feet and can weigh as much as 3,700 lbs, nearly 2 tons; reserved for males and as little as 875 lbs, reserved for females. Males are generally twice the size of females. 

A baby calf weighs between 100 to 165 lbs at birth. 

Mother walruses (cows) care for their young nursing them for at least two years.

The female offspring stay in the herd with their mothers for their whole life while the males usually leave their protective mother at two years old and go on their own or seek a small group to shelter with. 

When you see a walrus you will notice immediately their tusks, whiskers, flat flipper and their body mass which is composed of fat known as blubber and their uniquely cinnamon brown color. 

Walruses are used to living in cold waters in the Atlantic because of their blubber which insulates them and keeps their body temperatures warm in cold weather and cold waters. 

Walruses survive in the icy waters because of their tusks which are large teeth that allow them to anchor themselves as they pierce the ice with them while maneuvering their enormous bodies out of frigid waters. 

Walruses seek out sea mollusks, clams, crabs, shrimp, tube worms, sea cucumbers and other sea life that they can catch and eat since they are slow in their movements.

Walruses are generally not aggressive animals other than males during mating season but they are slow of foot in capturing prey and are considered the “gentle giants of the arctic”.

Walruses have a life span of 40 years but sadly due to global warming and climate change we are losing these beautiful sea animals. 

We must do better in protecting these animals of the ocean as they are vulnerable in their habitat and environment due to the melting of the ice caps. 

There is a network database, Walrus Network designed for walruses maintained in captivity initiated in 2014. As of 2024 there are approximately 130 walruses living within 53 facilities housed in 13 countries worldwide. 

Due to climate change the Pacific walruses are now moving to land and residents in a small Russian village off the Chukchi coast have witnessed for the past decade herds of females and calves leaving the waters due to ice melting and congregating on the shoreline to rest as their natural habitat is threatened. 

Walruses and all sea life are impacted by the global warming and climate change crisis and it is very difficult to predict their future but if man doesn’t take up the cause these wonderful sea creatures will be lost to extinction and we can never let that happen.

I live in the cold Atlantic and I care for my young to give them the necessary care and love they need so they can one day continue but we depend on a healthy ecosystem and if it isn’t sustainable then we die.

I am a walrus