Pacific Walrus
⚡ Key Facts & Quick Answers (AEO Summary)
- Taxonomic Class: Mammals
- Dietary Niche: Carnivore (Clams, mussels, sea snails, crabs, worms)
- Max Speed: 35 km/h (22 mph) swimming
- Adult Weight: 800 - 1,700 kg (1,750 - 3,750 lbs)
- Typical Lifespan: 20 - 30 years
- Primary Habitat: Arctic ice floes, shallow coastal shelf waters
- Native Region: Arctic and Sub-Arctic seas (Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea)
- IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
📊 Physical & Biological Metrics
🧬 Scientific Taxonomy & Biological Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Carnivora |
| Family | Odobenidae |
| Genus | Odobenus |
| Species Binomial | Odobenus rosmarus |
📖 1. Species Overview
The Walrus is a massive Arctic pinniped famous for its long ivory tusks, stiff facial whiskers (vibrissae), and wrinkled pink-brown hide. They use their tusks to pull themselves onto ice floes.
🦿 2. Physical Appearance, Anatomy & Adaptations
Massive body covered in tough skin up to 10 cm thick, large ivory tusks in both sexes, flippers, and a whiskered snout.
🗺️ 3. Habitat, Geographic Distribution & Territorial Range
Highly gregarious, gathering in thousands on ice beaches. They use tusks for defense, dominance, and hauling up ice.
🥩 4. Diet, Feeding Strategy & Hunting Tactics
Dive to shallow ocean beds, using whiskers to locate clams buried in mud and sucking meat out of shells.
🐣 5. Reproduction, Lifecycle & Social Hierarchy
Gestation is 15 months. Calves stay with mothers for up to 3 years, riding on her back in water.
🛡️ 6. Conservation Status, Population Threats & Protection
Vulnerable. Threatened by climate warming melting summer sea ice platforms.
💡 Fascinating Facts & Trivia
- The scientific name 'Odobenus' means 'tooth-walker', referring to how walruses use tusks to pull their heavy bodies onto ice.
- Their facial whiskers (vibrissae) contain up to 700 sensory nerve endings to feel out clams in pitch-black mud.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Direct authoritative answers regarding the biology, feeding habits, and habitat of the Pacific Walrus.
The Pacific Walrus is scientifically classified as Odobenus rosmarus. It belongs to the genus Odobenus within the family Odobenidae, class Mammalia, and phylum Chordata.
In the wild, Pacific Walruss inhabit Arctic ice floes, shallow coastal shelf waters. Their native geographic range primarily spans Arctic and Sub-Arctic seas (Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea).
The Pacific Walrus is classified as a Carnivore. It feeds primarily on specialized nutrients suited to its ecological niche in Arctic ice floes, shallow coastal shelf waters.
A Pacific Walrus can achieve top speeds of 35 km/h (22 mph) swimming and weighs approximately 800 - 1,700 kg (1,750 - 3,750 lbs). Its expected natural lifespan is 20 - 30 years.
The Pacific Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is currently designated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Cite this Article
FaunaWiki Zoological Database (2026). "Pacific Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) Species Profile."
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