Walrus

• It has the largest baculum of any mammal, up to 63 cm long.
• It is the only living pinniped with large external tusks.
• It uses its tusks to fight, to defend itself, to break ice and to haul itself out of the water.
• fisiologíaIt can slow its heart rate at will to better withstand the extreme cold of Arctic water on long dives.
• anatomíaIt can use its tusks to haul itself onto ice floes, and its whiskers hold thousands of nerve endings for finding molluscs buried in the seabed.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)

Habitat & environment

Shallow Arctic waters and ice floes of Russia, the United States, Canada, Greenland and Norway

Birth weight

45-75 kg and ~1.2 m long at birth

Size at birth

45-75 kg and ~1.2 m at birth

Sexual maturity

Female: 5-7 years | Male: socially mature at 15

Gestation / incubation

15-16 months, including 4-5 months of delayed implantation

Litter / clutch size

1 calf per birth, with about 3 years between births

Sources consulted: BMC Zoology (ex-situ walruses study); A-Z Animals (Walrus vs Elephant Seal); Animalia.bio; NOAA Fisheries (comparative); Animal Diversity Web; A-Z Animals (Baby Walrus facts)