Walrus - description, habitat, lifestyle

Walrus refers to animals that can easily tolerate cold. This name has become a household name, because that’s the name of people swimming in the hole. Walruses are predominantly distributed in cold climatic regions. They belong to the family of pinnipeds, it is necessary to search for these representatives in the northern hemisphere. These are one of the largest animals of this type, occupying an honorable second place after elephant seals. In today's article, we will consider everything that affects walruses.

Description and habitat

1. Almost all their lives, these animals are in the aquatic environment, they get food and are not afraid of ice water. As a result, the accumulated fat reserves subsequently warm walruses, giving them energy. As for the overall characteristics, adults can reach 5 meters in length. Their body weight is approximately 1.5 tons. Females are slightly smaller; they stretch up to 3 meters with a weight of 900 kg.
2. If you look at these pinnipeds, you will immediately notice the impressive size of the fangs. They are located on the upper jaw and fall down. In some individuals, the size of tusks sometimes reaches 70 cm. They are required to protect against enemies that walruses have in the natural environment. Also these fangs contribute to the convenient extraction of food from the bottom. Another aspect - when a walrus climbs on ice, he does it with the help of tusks, clinging to them like cats with claws behind a tree.
3. Due to the fact that the animals are constantly in ice water, they need a decent layer of fat for warming. It is about 15 cm. On average, of the total body volume, more than 23% is occupied by fat reserves. Walrus is a warm-blooded mammal. When the animal is in the water for a long period of time, its blood circulates more slowly, casts off the skin, so the animal appears light.
4. After a successful exit to the surface of the ice, everything returns to its previous course. Blood circulates intensely, the individual regains its former grayish-brownish tone. Young growth has a short coat. Over the course of the life cycle, it disappears, the skin becomes smoothed. Considering the habitat, it should be said that to a greater extent these animals are common in the Arctic.
5. Some populations are found in Iceland, Greenland, the Red Sea, Svalbard. In summer, individuals accumulate in the Bristol Bay region, as well as in Alaska and the Bottfort Sea. Individuals of the represented breed group are reckoned among those animals that constantly migrate. Therefore, they can be found even in Siberia (eastern part).

Lifestyle

1. By their characteristics, these individuals do not belong to aggressive creatures. Accommodation is carried out colonially, they stray in groups of 25 individuals on average. However, when the mating season begins, then in one place there may be several thousand animals. The males are aggressive at this time, as they try to conquer the females and participate in skirmishes. When walruses get ashore, females take on the role of caring mothers, and males compete and measure with tusks.
2. Representatives of the clan, located on different sides of the flock, are watchmen. They capture an approaching threat and give signals so that the brethren can provide support. When an alarm is heard, the flock instantly goes to the water. A stampede may form, so young animals often suffer. Females boldly close their cubs from large-sized individuals.
3. The main enemy of these animals is considered a polar bear.He leads a full-fledged walrus hunt, and subsequently enjoys it. Not always bears can overcome walruses, so they often attack in packs. As for land, bears are stronger in this environment, but reinforcements usually arrive at walruses. Bears, unable to eat large pinnipeds, attack babies and weakened animals.
4. A killer whale can be considered among the walrus opponents in the water. She is famous for her sharp teeth and strong grip. The overall features also exceed those of walruses, therefore, in an attempt to escape, they emerge and get ashore.
5. Earlier it was mentioned that walruses are classified as flocks of mammals. At rookeries, their numbers sometimes reach several thousand. Each individual has a role to play. The dominant position is assigned to the largest male, he runs the show. If males do not argue about females, then they live quite peacefully.
6. It should also be mentioned that excellent swimmers are obtained from the animals presented. Some of them so forget about time when searching for food, that they are in ice water for days.

Nutrition

1. The representatives of the family under discussion are more prevalent along the coastline. However, you can meet individuals a little further. They always try to look for food near the main habitat. Sometimes they dive to a depth of 75 meters to get a meal from the bottom for themselves and their offspring. Most of the basic food consists of mollusks, worms and crustaceans of all kinds.
2. Due to the presence of tusks of impressive size, the beast easily plows the bottom, taking out the mollusks. Then he uses fins to eliminate the sink and leave only the body, which will be used in the future. The walrus sends shards to the bottom. To saturate one large individual, you need to use about 50 kg. shellfish per day. These individuals practically do not lean on fish. They can feast on it if there is nothing more to eat.
3. If an adult large-sized male gets himself food, he will conduct his hunt. Will begin to attack seals, narwhals. They are the predators that are dangerous to humans. When a walrus tastes meat, he will not give it up anymore. He will constantly find himself such food. The northern people call such animals Keluch.

Enemies walrus

1. Often, the natural enemies of the individuals represented are killer whales. They can overtake walruses in the water. As for land, polar bears often hunt animals. Separately, it is worth mentioning a person. In this case, natural selection does not play any role. People constantly exterminate walruses.
2. It is the indigenous peoples of the North who often hunt them. People kill them only for food. That is, there is no mass extermination. Northern people do not kill animals just for fun or for fun. The situation changed dramatically when the white man began a barbaric extermination of individuals.
3. Poachers began mass extermination of walruses for the sake of their tusks. That was several decades ago. Currently, the animal population has declined sharply. Now the giants of the Arctic are protected and listed in the Red Book. The problem is that animals are on the verge of extinction.

Breeding

1. Unfortunately, breeding individuals is extremely rare. The problem is that walruses reach puberty only at the age of 6 years. The mating season in animals falls in the spring. At such a time, a real fight for females flares up between males.
2. What is noteworthy, at a time the couple has only 1 baby, in rare cases 2. In addition, the female can bring offspring only 1 time in 4 years. Pregnancy lasts a whole year. After that, a baby weighing about 30 kg is born. The whole next year he eats exclusively breast milk.
3. Parents continue to protect offspring up to 3 years of age. Only at this time their fangs begin to grow. Cubs begin to get their own food. At the age of 2 years, the baby's diet begins to be diverse. He already eats everything that his parents offer him. Also, the cub does not stop drinking mother's milk.
4. The life expectancy of such individuals is about 30 years. And 20 of which they continue to grow. Maximum animals live up to 35 years. It is interesting that on the whole planet the walrus population totals only 250 thousand individuals. There is one more unique view - Laptevsky.
5. It is listed in the Red Book, and all on the earth there are about 20 thousand individuals. This situation was due to commercial hunting for animals. Poachers exterminated them mainly due to fangs. Often, various crafts and arms for weapons were made from such material.
6. As for the local people, people ate walrus meat and used their skins. In the modern world, industrial hunting is prohibited around the world. Only local residents are allowed to hunt walruses, for which this is simply necessary.
7. Northern peoples eat meat of individuals, in addition, they use animal fat for lighting. Fangs are necessary for crafts of folklore. In addition, climate change has affected walrus numbers. Due to global warming, the population of individuals has declined.
8. The ice began to melt and walruses had less room for rookery. Because of this, getting food became difficult. The cubs are forced to be alone for a long time in the recreation area until the mother brings the prey. Together, all this negatively affected the reproductive function of walruses.

Population status

1. Commercial fishing for the Atlantic walrus flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is for this reason that animals have almost completely disappeared. There are very few individuals left. In the modern world, hunting them is prohibited around the world. Only northern indigenous peoples are excluded.
2. Only such people can get a few animals at a certain time. At the same time, the sale of meat, fat and other parts of the animal’s body is prohibited. Walruses are allowed to hunt exclusively for their own needs. In European cuisine, the cooked language of the presented animal is considered a delicacy.
3. Northern peoples eat meat of individuals all winter. In addition, local residents preserve animal flippers and store them until spring. As for bones and tusks, they are used to create various tools and decorations. Thick hide is suitable as a finish for boats and houses.
4. In the modern world there are already quite cheap and affordable building materials, so there is no longer any need to exterminate walruses in large numbers. However, not all nations allow new technologies into their world. Someone prefers to live the same way as 100 years ago.

Walruses are considered the oldest animals on the planet, unfortunately, people became the cause of their mass extermination. However, it is not a secret for anyone that it is a person who causes many troubles and disasters. Currently, walruses are listed in the Red Book and are under protection.

Video: walrus (Odobenus rosmarus)