---
title: "What the sources say about the Walrus | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "60 claims from the Walrus profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/walrus-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/walrus/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Walrus (*Odobenus rosmarus*)

> 60 claims from the Walrus profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Walrus](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/walrus/)

## Walrus. Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=walrus.main

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| hundreds of sensitive whiskers | Walruses also have hundreds of short, strong, highly sensitive whiskers that they use to search the seafloor for their food. |
| Benthic clams, snails, sea cucumbers, soft-shelled crabs, and marine worms | Invertebrates that live on and below the seafloor – clams, snails, soft-shelled crabs, shrimp, worms, sea cucumbers (note: Benthic restates 'live on and below the seafloor'. SeaWorld's species-wide list agrees: clams, marine worms, snails, sea cucumbers, crabs) |
| some walruses, mostly males, are known to occasionally prey on seals and seabirds | Some walruses, mostly males, are known to occasionally prey on seals and seabirds. (note: final pass: the Fast Facts box drops the scope the body text gives) |
| A Mouth Built Like a Vacuum | walruses eat by sucking food into their mouths using the powerful suction created by pulling their piston-like tongue back quickly (note: vacuum is the heading's metaphor for the suction the source describes) |
| A walrus eats by suction. | walruses eat by sucking food into their mouths using the powerful suction |
| Except for the tusks, its teeth are flat, so it pulls its piston-like tongue back quickly, and the powerful suction draws food into its mouth | Except for their tusks, walrus teeth are flat; as a result, walruses eat by sucking food into their mouths using the powerful suction created by pulling their piston-like tongue back quickly. |
| It sucks the soft parts out of clams and snails and leaves the shells to fall to the seafloor | Walruses suck out the soft parts of clams and snails leaving the shells to fall to the sea floor. |
| the group that includes seals and sea lions | a large pinniped (i.e., the group that includes seals, sea lions and fur seals) |
| That bulk comes wrapped in a tough hide that can be an inch thick | Walruses are strong bodied and have a very thick, tough hide that can be an inch thick. |
| Female walruses are known to become dangerously aggressive if their calf is threatened | Female walruses are known to become dangerously aggressive if their calf is threatened. (note: added after review so the page states what backs stats.dangerLevel High ('Dangerous when cornered or provoked')) |
| A walrus's tusks are its upper canine teeth, and they grow throughout its life | their two ivory tusks, which are long upper canine teeth that grow throughout their life |
| Females threaten and jab each other for better position on haulouts, and in the breeding season males threaten and fight with their tusks to compete for females | Females will threaten and jab each other for better position on haulouts and during the breeding season, male walruses will threaten and fight with their tusks to compete for females. |
| Two males with similar-sized tusks will usually fight and may stab each other, leaving bruises and punctures | If the two males have similar sized tusks, they will usually fight and may stab each other with their tusks, inflicting bruises and punctures. |
| The genus name Odobenus means "tooth-walker." | The walrus’s genus name Odobenus means “tooth-walker.” |
| Predators and Sea Ice | Potential threats to the Pacific walrus population include a reduction in sea ice, predation by killer whales and polar bears (note: the heading names the section's two topics and states no trend) |
| Alaska's wildlife agency also lists a reduction in sea ice among the potential threats to the Pacific walrus | Potential threats to the Pacific walrus population include a reduction in sea ice |
| Walruses use sea ice as a drifting platform for resting between foraging trips, giving birth and traveling | Walruses use sea ice as a stable, yet drifting, platform for resting between foraging trips, calving, and traveling. |
| With less of it, Pacific walruses will likely spend more time on shore haulouts along the Russian and Alaskan coasts | With less sea ice, walruses will likely spend more time on shore haulouts along the Russian and Alaskan coasts (note: the source is the Pacific walrus profile, and the Russian and Alaskan coasts are the Pacific population's) |
| On land haulouts, a disturbance can panic the herd into a rush for the water that runs over and crushes calves and yearlings | Calves and yearlings suffer increased mortality on terrestrial haulouts when disturbances cause the herd to panic and rush to the water running over and crushing the smaller animals. |
| Except for its tusks, a walrus's teeth are flat, so it eats by suction | Except for their tusks, walrus teeth are flat; as a result, walruses eat by sucking food into their mouths using the powerful suction |
| It pulls its piston-like tongue back quickly, and the powerful suction draws food into its mouth | walruses eat by sucking food into their mouths using the powerful suction created by pulling their piston-like tongue back quickly |
| Walruses do not use them to dig on the seafloor for food | Walruses do not use their tusks for digging on the seafloor for food. |
| They use them to help pull themselves onto rocks or ice, to move ice to make an opening to dive through, and to fight off predators | Walruses use their tusks to help pull themselves onto rocks or ice, to move ice to create an opening to dive through, and to fight off predators. |
| Their most common use is social | The most common use of tusks is social. |
| females threaten and jab each other for better position on haulouts, and in the breeding season males threaten and fight with their tusks to compete for females | Females will threaten and jab each other for better position on haulouts and during the breeding season, male walruses will threaten and fight with their tusks to compete for females. |

## Walrus. SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Animal Bytes.

https://seaworld.org/animals/facts/mammals/walrus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Shallow Arctic seas | Range Arctic Sea, both Pacific and Atlantic (Bering, Laptev and Chukchi seas) Habitat In relatively shallow water, generally not more than 80 m (262 ft) deep. |
| hauling out on ice floes and pack ice, or small rocky islands when there is no ice | Hauls out on ice floes, pack ice and small rocky islands when ice is not present. |
| About 400 to 700 whiskers on a snout that a walrus moves through seafloor sediment to find food | A walrus has about 400 to 700 vibrissae on its snout. Vibrissae are attached to muscles and are supplied with blood and nerves. A walrus moves its snout through bottom sediment to find food. |
| A walrus may eat 3,000 to 6,000 clams in a single feeding | may consume 3,000 to 6,000 clams within a single feeding |
| To locate food, a walrus uses its whiskers, called vibrissae | To locate food, walruses use their vibrissae (whiskers). |
| It has about 400 to 700 of them on its snout, attached to muscles and supplied with blood and nerves | A walrus has about 400 to 700 vibrissae on its snout. Vibrissae are attached to muscles and are supplied with blood and nerves. |
| It moves its snout through the bottom sediment to find food | A walrus moves its snout through bottom sediment to find food. |
| Walruses live in relatively shallow water, generally no more than 80 meters (262 feet) deep | Habitat In relatively shallow water, generally not more than 80 m (262 ft) deep. |
| in relatively shallow water that is generally no more than 80 meters (262 feet) deep | Habitat In relatively shallow water, generally not more than 80 m (262 ft) deep. |
| Adult males measure 2.7 to 3.6 meters (9 to 12 feet) long and weigh about 800 to 1,700 kilograms; females measure 2.3 to 3.1 meters (7.5 to 10 feet) and weigh about 400 to 1,250 kilograms | Male: 2.7 to 3.6 m (9 to 12 ft) Female: 2.3 to 3.1 m (7.5 to 10 ft) Weight Newborn claves weigh about 45 to 75 kg (99 to 156 lbs.) Male: About 800 to 1,700 kg (1,764 to 3,748 lbs.) Female: About 400 to 1,250 kg (882 to 2,756 lbs.) (note: species-wide figures from the current SeaWorld page; the ranges sit under 'Adult males are slightly larger than females' and apart from the newborn figures, so they are adults. Replaces the ADFG 'up to 12 feet, up to 2 tons' figure, which is the Pacific walrus's (ADFG's page is a Pacific walrus profile)) |
| The Pacific subspecies is larger than the Atlantic | The Pacific subspecies is larger than the Atlantic. |
| a blubber layer that may be up to 15 centimeters (6 inches) thick | Blubber may be up to 15 cm (6 in.) thick. |
| In winter, blubber may make up a third of a walrus's body mass | During the winter, blubber may account for one-third of a walrus's total body mass. |
| Most walruses live where the air temperature is about minus 15 to 5°C (5 to 41°F), and the blubber insulates them | Most walruses live where the air temperature is about -15° to 5°C (5° to 41°F). A thick layer of blubber insulates the walrus. |
| Walruses may live up to 40 years | Life Span Up to 40 years |
| The wear on them shows they are dragged through the sediment, not used to dig up prey | Abrasion patterns of the tusks show that they are dragged through the sediment, but are not used to dig up prey. |
| To dig, a walrus may take in a mouthful of water and squirt powerful jets at the seafloor, excavating burrowing clams | Walruses may also take in mouthfuls of water and squirt powerful jets at the sea floor, excavating burrowing invertebrates such as clams |
| Their main jobs seem to be helping a walrus haul out onto ice and rocky shores and establishing social dominance | The primary functions of the walruses' prominent tusks seem to be aiding in hauling out on ice and rocky shores and in establishing social dominance. |

## Odobenus rosmarus (walrus). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Odobenus_rosmarus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Tusks up to three feet long | Tusks can grow to a length of 90 cm (note: 90 cm is about 3 feet; no current institution page gives a tusk length, so ADW (2013) stands uncontradicted) |
| Walruses have short-range vision and often can't see when they are on the ocean floor looking for food | Walruses has short-range vision and often cannot see when they are on the ocean floor scavenging for food. |
| They can reach 90 centimeters (about 3 feet), though roughly 50 centimeters is average | Tusks can grow to a length of 90 cm but the average size is roughly 50 cm. (note: 90 cm is about 3 feet) |
| Walrus predators include polar bears and killer whales | Walruses predators include killer whales and polar bears. |
| Adults use their tusks as a weapon to defend themselves, and young walruses are more vulnerable to predation | Adults use their giant tusks as a weapon to defend themselves. The young walruses are more susceptible to predation. |

## McClain et al. (2015). Sizing ocean giants: patterns of intraspecific size variation in marine megafauna. PeerJ.

https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.715

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| the bulk of the third-largest pinniped | Third Largest Pinniped: Walrus, Odobenus rosmarus |
| An Arctic Heavyweight | Third Largest Pinniped: Walrus, Odobenus rosmarus (Linnaeus, 1758) Odobenus rosmarus has a disjunct distribution occurring across the Arctic Ocean and sub-Arctic portions of the North Pacific and North Atlantic. (note: heavyweight rests on the third-largest-pinniped ranking; Arctic on the distribution) |
| The walrus is the third-largest pinniped | Third Largest Pinniped: Walrus, Odobenus rosmarus |
| Largest confirmed walrus | The largest walrus we can confirm is an O. r. rosumarus male from southeastern Svalbard |
| An Atlantic walrus male from southeastern Svalbard, Norway, weighed 1,883 kilograms and measured 3.8 meters long | The largest walrus we can confirm is an O. r. rosumarus male from southeastern Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, that measured 1,883 kg and was 3.8 m long (Wiig & Gjertz, 1996). (note: the same paper names O. r. rosmarus as the Atlantic walrus ('There are three recognized subspecies: the Atlantic Walrus O. r. rosmarus'); rosumarus is the paper's typo) |
| A walrus killed in 1909 was estimated from its hide at 2,500 kilograms, and a bull shot in 1911 at a purported 2,268 kilograms, but both records are difficult to verify | the largest recorded specimen is predicted to be 2,500 kg based on a hide weight 500 kg and the assumption that the hide compromises roughly 20% of total weight (Wood, 1982). Captain Ole Hansen killed this individual in 1909 near Franz-Josef Land. In 1911, the American Jack Woodson shot a bull with a purported weight of 2,268 kg (Wood, 1982). Both of these records are difficult to verify. |
| The largest walrus researchers can confirm is an Atlantic walrus male from southeastern Svalbard, Norway, which weighed 1,883 kilograms (over 4,000 pounds) and measured 3.8 meters (about 12.5 feet) long | The largest walrus we can confirm is an O. r. rosumarus male from southeastern Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, that measured 1,883 kg and was 3.8 m long (Wiig & Gjertz, 1996). (note: 1,883 kg is 4,151 lb; 3.8 m is 12.5 ft. The paper names O. r. rosmarus as the Atlantic walrus) |
| The scientists who reported it thought that figure might be conservative, and that the largest males at Svalbard might weigh about 2,000 kilograms (about 4,400 pounds). | Wiig & Gjertz (1996) did note, however, that this size estimate may be conservative ... it is believed that the largest male walruses at Svalbard might weigh about 2,000 kg. (note: FAQ 4; 2,000 kg is 4,409 lb. Wiig & Gjertz 1996 reported the 1,883 kg Svalbard male the sentence before) |

## Larsen & Reichmuth (2021). Walruses produce intense impulse sounds by clap-induced cavitation during breeding displays. Royal Society Open Science.

https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.210197

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A rutting male walrus sings underwater in the same two parts: rhythmic knocks | During the breeding season adult males emit patterned underwater songs that include rhythmic knock sequences punctuated by metallic bell-like sounds. (note: vibe.reason; the two parts map onto the song's frame drums (knocks) and horns (bell-like sounds)) |
| about one a second | often repeated in rhythmic sequences at rates of 0.8–1.2 Hz (note: vibe.reason; 0.8 to 1.2 Hz is roughly one knock a second) |
| punctuated by metallic bell-like sounds, in cycles that can run for hours | During the breeding season adult males emit patterned underwater songs that include rhythmic knock sequences punctuated by metallic bell-like sounds. These unusual songs consist of hundreds of short repetitious pulses delivered in repeated stereotyped cycles lasting from several hours to several days at a time (note: vibe.reason) |

## Kovacs (2025). Odobenus rosmarus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T15106A272356023.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2025-2.rlts.t15106a272356023.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The IUCN lists the walrus as Vulnerable | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). |