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Animal profile

Walrus

Odobenus rosmarus

MammaliaArctic and subarctic shallow shelf seas with seasonal sea iceVulnerable

Field profile

The walrus is a very large pinniped of Arctic shelf seas, unmistakable for its tusks, moustache of stiff whiskers and thick wrinkled hide. It feeds mainly on bottom-dwelling molluscs in shallow water. Both sexes bear tusks, which are elongated upper canines.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-11-30

Walrus

A walrus sucks clams out of their shells

Its tusks are not digging tools in the way often described. The walrus ploughs the seabed with its snout and stiff whiskers, then seals its lips around a clam and pulls the soft body out with a piston-like tongue, leaving the shell behind.

Read with evidence →

Walrus | Daily Animal Facts