Mammals
walrus
classification
Kingdom- Animalia
Phylum- Chordata Class- Mammalia Order- Carnivora Family- Odobenidae Genus- Odobenus Species- Rosmarus |
morphologyThe walrus has bilateral symmetry. One of the largest and most distinctive of all pinnipeds, the walrus is renowned for its enormous tusks, which can reach an incredible one metre in length. Although both sexes have the distinctively prolonged upper canines, the much larger male has tusks which are considerably longer and thicker than the female’s. The foreflippers are short and squarish like those of a sea lion, while the rear flippers resemble those of true seals, but compared with other pinnipeds, the walrus’ bulky body is much less streamlined.
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biology
For an animal of such size, the walrus feeds on organisms that are relatively low in the food chain, preferring the small invertebrates that inhabit the ocean floor to the highly mobile fish and crustaceans taken by most other pinnipeds. In order for such a large, bulky animal to sustain itself on a diet dominated by relatively small organisms, it needs to be a highly efficient forager. Diving to depths of up to 180 metres for up to 24 minutes at a time, it uses its highly sensitive whiskers and snout to locate food, which it then excavates using the tough edges of its nose, and by squirting jets of water from its mouth.
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distibution map
importance: ecological and economical
Walruses are extremely important to humans. Humans hunt them and use them for oil, ivory, and their hides. Many centuries ago, the natives of Alaska, Canada, and Russia hunted them for their meat and bones, which were used to make tools.
facts
1. Largest and most distinctive of all pinnipeds.
2. Males tusks are longer and thicker than females.
3. In the harsh winter, males and females congregate for the mating season, between January and April.
4. The walrus has been hunted by native peoples for thousands of years.
5.
2. Males tusks are longer and thicker than females.
3. In the harsh winter, males and females congregate for the mating season, between January and April.
4. The walrus has been hunted by native peoples for thousands of years.
5.