Walruses are among the large pinnipeds. Adult males can be up to 4 meters long, and the weight of some individuals is almost two tons. Among pinnipeds, they are second only to elephants in size . Thick fangs reaching half a meter in length are used by walruses to dig up suitable food from sand and silt.
Where walruses live, the depths are shallow, because they feed mainly on bottom mollusks, which are easier to harvest in shallow water. You can meet them in the polar seas of Eurasia and North America.
Terrible-looking but kind in heart
Thick skin (up to 4 centimeters) is practically hairless. Walruses live in the water and are good swimmers. The presence of a large amount of subcutaneous fat allows animals to easily stay afloat. Their head is heavier than water. In order to breathe, you have to periodically raise it above the water surface. And although animals can spend a lot of time under water in search of food, they are not able to sleep at depth. In the place where walruses live, you can often see brown-brown backs of a sleeping herd sticking out of the water, reminiscent of a scattering of boulders in shallow water. From time to time, carcasses hide in dark water, and baleen heads appear in their place. The sea animal, without opening its eyes, takes a deep breath and again plunges its head, and in its place the back appears again. So, constantly tossing and turning, they sleep.
Walrus is a herd animal. They live in large groups, each year making long journeys to those places that they have chosen for breeding. The process of choosing such a place takes a very long time. Animals are extremely careful and never dare to go ashore right away. First, they sniff, evaluate the situation, exchange information and only after that dare to get out of the water.
In cases where animals have to rest on the beach after a long swim, in the places where walruses live, an interesting picture is observed. Tired, they are heaped on the beach, huddled close to shoulder to shoulder. They can sleep in any position: on the belly, on the back or on the side. New arrivals, in order to find some free space, are forced to climb onto the backs of their comrades. Fighting because of cramped space is almost impossible, in this regard they show amazing restraint and peacefulness.
Walrus rookeries are usually separate. Adult males prefer to lie on the shore. Females with babies try to settle on ice. When a lot of animals accumulate on an ice floe, it turns over under their weight or simply disappears under water.
Reproduction of marine giants is slow. Basically, females bring cubs every 3-4 years. One and a half tons of milk feeding the baby lasts throughout the year. Walruses themselves cannot get their own food, as their fangs begin to grow from a year old.
"Pahari" of the sea
The bottom of the shallow water where walruses live is covered with large furrows reaching up to 150 meters in length. Animals make these depressions in soft soil, plowing silt and clay in search of mollusks - their main food. Swimming at the very bottom, the walrus with its muzzle paves a furrow, while managing to choose everything edible on the go.