Why do walruses have big teeth

These walruses are almost always sizable males with large shoulders and strong chest muscles. Walruses tend to forage at the bottom of the sea at depths up to 80 meters feet , but most of their feeding occurs around 10 — 50 meters 33 — feet.

Because the water is too murky to see food, walruses rely on their sensitive whiskers to find it. About a month before giving birth, the pregnant female walrus separates from the herd and moves out onto the pack ice. She births her young in May and then remains on the ice, fasting for the first few days.

During this time, walrus females rely on their body fat for energy. Afterward, mothers and their young return to the herd, at which point female walruses start feeding again. When the mother needs to dive, calves are looked after by other members of the herd. At about five months old, walrus calves are strong enough to dive and feed on benthic organisms. Nine months after giving birth, female walruses mate again. Breeding takes place over the months of December and January, during which time male walruses show off to females along the ice edges.

Males defend these small pieces of territory, performing vocal and visual displays to attract walrus females. Males are aggressive with one another when finding a mate, with battles often resulting in injuries.

Walrus females give birth when they are around 10 years old, and males reach sexual maturity at this time as well. Male walruses rarely live beyond 15 years in the wild, due the dangers and rigors of maintaining a harem. Female walruses, however, may live up to 25 or 30 years. Walruses have two large external tusks that can grow up to one meter long 3. Male walruses can reach 3 — 3. Walrus calves are born weighing about 85 kg pounds and are approximately 1. RVR At the end of a long Arctic winter, spring is starting to awaken.

JNSH The focus of this voyage is shore hiking. Hikers can choose hikes that best suits their fitness and ability level. HDS The focus of this voyage is shore hiking. HDS Start your North Spitsbergen cruise with a trek around historic Longyearbyen, then join our expedition to the north of the island to take in the fantastically beautiful landscapes, the thousands of seabirds, and of course the star of the show, the polar JNSH Start your North Spitsbergen cruise with a trek around historic Longyearbyen, then join our expedition to the north of the island to take in the fantastically beautiful landscapes, the thousands of seabirds, and of course the star of the show, the polar We have a total of 90 cruises.

English German Dutch Spanish. My profile Travel Agent. Helena Visited places on St. All highlights. Tusks, diet, and other winning walrus facts The walrus is one of the most recognizable animals on the planet, and for good reason.

Weight: Up to 1. Size relative to a 6-ft man:. Least Concern Extinct. Current Population Trend: Unknown. This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram.

Follow us on Instagram at natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo. Share Tweet Email. Go Further. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London.

Animals Wild Cities Morocco has 3 million stray dogs. Meet the people trying to help. Animals Whales eat three times more than previously thought.

Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Environment As the EU targets emissions cuts, this country has a coal problem. Paid Content How Hong Kong protects its sea sanctuaries. History Magazine These 3,year-old giants watched over the cemeteries of Sardinia. Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of the walrus is his tusks. Actually largely elongated canine teeth, the tusks can grow up to 40 inches long and weigh up to 12 pounds each.

Present on both males and females, males tend to have larger tusks, and the Pacific walrus has larger tusks than the Atlantic walrus. The walrus has many uses for his tusks, primarily for defending his territory and his harem during mating season.

He also uses them as a makeshift ice pick to dig breathing holes through the ice from beneath the surface, and to haul his rather sizable body onto land or ice masses.

Use of the tusks by the walrus to haul himself out of the water has led to the nickname "tooth walker," since he appears to be walking on his teeth. His scientific name translates from Latin into "tooth walking sea horse. In addition to his tusks, the walrus does have other rudimentary teeth. While the number of teeth can vary, with a maximum of 32 teeth, most walruses have 18 teeth located behind the canines. These smaller teeth, oval-shaped and flat-topped, growing to about 2 inches in length, aren't used for feeding or chewing.

The walrus will forage for clams, snails, mussels, worms, squid, octopus and even some fish.