Showing posts tagged walrus
Pacific Walrus The Pacific walrus faces warming temperatures and a loss of its habitat. These walruses depend on sea ice to birth and take care of their young, but melting glaciers means that they have to venture onto land for food, which can often lead to overcrowding and stampedes, according to the National Wildlife Federation. While the current size of the walrus population is unknown, it was last estimated to be about 129,000 in a 2006 survey. Photo: Rodney Ungwiluk, Jr. Photography via Getty Images (via: TakePart.org) View high resolution
Pacific Walrus

The Pacific walrus faces warming temperatures and a loss of its habitat. These walruses depend on sea ice to birth and take care of their young, but melting glaciers means that they have to venture onto land for food, which can often lead to overcrowding and stampedes, according to the National Wildlife Federation. While the current size of the walrus population is unknown, it was last estimated to be about 129,000 in a 2006 survey.

Photo: Rodney Ungwiluk, Jr. Photography via Getty Images

(via: TakePart.org)

Walruses use their tusks to haul themselves out of the water. Their scientific name Odobenus comes from Greek words meaning “tooth walk.” Here a close-up of a walrus in the Chukchi Sea, north of the Bering Strait, between Alaska and Siberia. (via: Live Science)                      (photo: Sarah Sonsthagen, USGS) View high resolution

Walruses use their tusks to haul themselves out of the water. Their scientific name Odobenus comes from Greek words meaning “tooth walk.” Here a close-up of a walrus in the Chukchi Sea, north of the Bering Strait, between Alaska and Siberia.

(via: Live Science)                      (photo: Sarah Sonsthagen, USGS)

Young male Pacific Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) on Cape Pierce in Alaska. Note the variation in the curvature and orientation of the tusks and the bumpy skin (bosses), typical of males. (photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Togiak National Wildlife Refuge) View high resolution

Young male Pacific Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) on Cape Pierce in Alaska. Note the variation in the curvature and orientation of the tusks and the bumpy skin (bosses), typical of males.

(photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Togiak National Wildlife Refuge)

Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) are so huge, at up 1,700 kg (3,700 lb), their only non-human predators are the orca (killer whale) and the polar bear. (via: Live Science)                    (photo: Sarah Sonsthagen, USGS) View high resolution

Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) are so huge, at up 1,700 kg (3,700 lb), their only non-human predators are the orca (killer whale) and the polar bear.

(via: Live Science)                    (photo: Sarah Sonsthagen, USGS)

Ancient ‘Killer Walrus’ Not So Deadly After All

by Megan Gannon

A “killer walrus” thought to have terrorized the North Pacific 15 million years ago may not have been such a savvy slayer after all, researchers say.

A new analysis of fossil evidence of the prehistoric beast shows it was more of a fish-eater than an apex predator with a bone-crushing bite.

Traces of the middle Miocene walrus, named Pelagiarctos thomasi, were first found in the 1980s in the Sharktooth Hill bone bed of California. A chunk of a robust jawbone and sharp pointed teeth, which resembled those of the bone-cracking hyena, led researchers to believe the walrus ripped apart birds and other marine mammals in addition to the fish that modern walruses eat today.

But a more complete lower jaw and teeth from the long-gone species were recently discovered in the Topanga Canyon Formation near Los Angeles. Researchers say the shape of the teeth from this new specimen suggest the walrus was unlikely adapted to regularly feed on large prey. Instead, they think it was a generalist predator, feasting on fish, invertebrates and the occasional warm-blooded snack…

(read more: Live Science)           

(images: Robert Boessenecker, PLOS ONE, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.005431)

Call of the Wild: World’s Largest Animal Sound Archive Goes Digital

by Live Science staff

An archive of tens of thousands of animal sounds has just gone online.

http://macaulaylibrary.org/

The searchable Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology boasts nearly 150,000 digital audio recordings, covering about 9,000 noisy species, with a total run time of 7,513 hours. Though there’s an emphasis on birds, the collection contains sounds from across the animal kingdom, from elephants to elephant seals.

Some of the highlights of the collection include recordings of the curl-crested manucode, a bird-of-paradise in New Guinea, whose otherworldly calls sound like UFOs landing in a sci-fi movie. There’s also a clip of a song sparrow recorded in 1929 by Cornell Lab founder Arthur Allen, which is the earliest recording in the collection…

(read more)

(images: TL - S.A. Sonsthagen/USGS; TR - USFWS; BL - wadems | wikimedia; BR - Stanly Trauth)

Visit the library here: http://macaulaylibrary.org/

Walruses Forced Ashore As Arctic Ice Disappears by Becky Oskin Arctic summer sea ice is the walrus equivalent of a maternity ward and a mall food court. But in the past five years, warming temperatures have caused substantial ice melt and left little to no ice for resting between feeding dives or giving birth, leading Pacific walruses to change their habits, U.S. Geological Survey scientists announced at a news conference in Anchorage, Alaska, on Wednesday (Nov. 14). When sea ice disappeared, the bewhiskered, bellowing mammals spent more time on land and foraged close to shore, instead of at their rich feeding grounds at sea. Females also gave birth on land, putting babies at risk of trampling by adults. In addition, walruses spent more time traveling at sea, putting them at risk of running into ships or other human activities. The research was presented at the news conference and published in this month’s issue of the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series… (read more: Live Science)                  (photo: S.A. Sonsthagen, USGS) View high resolution

Walruses Forced Ashore As Arctic Ice Disappears

by Becky Oskin

Arctic summer sea ice is the walrus equivalent of a maternity ward and a mall food court.

But in the past five years, warming temperatures have caused substantial ice melt and left little to no ice for resting between feeding dives or giving birth, leading Pacific walruses to change their habits, U.S. Geological Survey scientists announced at a news conference in Anchorage, Alaska, on Wednesday (Nov. 14).

When sea ice disappeared, the bewhiskered, bellowing mammals spent more time on land and foraged close to shore, instead of at their rich feeding grounds at sea. Females also gave birth on land, putting babies at risk of trampling by adults. In addition, walruses spent more time traveling at sea, putting them at risk of running into ships or other human activities. The research was presented at the news conference and published in this month’s issue of the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series…

(read more: Live Science)                  (photo: S.A. Sonsthagen, USGS)

Pacific walrus, Chukotka, Siberia, Russia Larger than their Atlantic walrus cousins, Pacific walruses can weigh up to 4,400 pounds (2,000 kilograms). Once hunted heavily, the biggest threat to walruses in recent times is climate change. As ocean habitats warm, receding sea ice is forcing the beasts to stay on land in overcrowded conditions. (via: OurAmazingPlanet)       (photo: Staffan Widstrand / WWF) View high resolution

Pacific walrus, Chukotka, Siberia, Russia

Larger than their Atlantic walrus cousins, Pacific walruses can weigh up to 4,400 pounds (2,000 kilograms). Once hunted heavily, the biggest threat to walruses in recent times is climate change. As ocean habitats warm, receding sea ice is forcing the beasts to stay on land in overcrowded conditions.

(via: OurAmazingPlanet)       (photo: Staffan Widstrand / WWF)

Grist: Meet New York Aquarium’s adorable new rescued baby walrus  by Jess Zimmerman Baby walrus calf Mitik was discovered, orphaned and ailing, off the coast of Alaska in July. Now he’s all grown up — he’s still a baby, but he weighs 234 pounds, which is pretty grown indeed — and he’s traveling all the way from Alaska to New York City, possibly with his head in his keeper’s lap the whole way. Mitik won’t be on display in his new home at the New York Aquarium until spring, so until then, you’ll need to watch videos of him on YouTube. Back before Mitik had a name, we posted this one of him snuggling with an Alaska Sea Life Center worker. The New York Aquarium already has two walruses, Kula and Nuka, but they’re such social creatures that it’s important they never be left alone. Since Nuka is getting up there in years, the aquarium is bringing in Mitik as a backup so Kula won’t be lonely if she dies. But it’s not just for Kula’s sake — they’re also taking Mitik because he’s an orphan who needs a home, and because he’s a super-cute chubby-wubby baby-woobly walrus-face… (read more: Grist.org)          (photo: Alaska Sealife Center)

Grist: Meet New York Aquarium’s adorable new rescued baby walrus 

by Jess Zimmerman

Baby walrus calf Mitik was discovered, orphaned and ailing, off the coast of Alaska in July. Now he’s all grown up — he’s still a baby, but he weighs 234 pounds, which is pretty grown indeed — and he’s traveling all the way from Alaska to New York City, possibly with his head in his keeper’s lap the whole way.

Mitik won’t be on display in his new home at the New York Aquarium until spring, so until then, you’ll need to watch videos of him on YouTube. Back before Mitik had a name, we posted this one of him snuggling with an Alaska Sea Life Center worker.

The New York Aquarium already has two walruses, Kula and Nuka, but they’re such social creatures that it’s important they never be left alone. Since Nuka is getting up there in years, the aquarium is bringing in Mitik as a backup so Kula won’t be lonely if she dies. But it’s not just for Kula’s sake — they’re also taking Mitik because he’s an orphan who needs a home, and because he’s a super-cute chubby-wubby baby-woobly walrus-face…

(read more: Grist.org)          (photo: Alaska Sealife Center)

Fun Facts About Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) by Elizabeth Gannon Walruses are one of the largest flippered marine mammals. Male walruses weigh up to 3,700 pounds (1,700 kilograms), while females tip the scales at about 2,700 pounds (1,200 kg). In the pinniped family, walruses are second in size only to elephant seals. Their flippers are flexible like hands, and each flipper has five digits. They have a broad head, small eyes, and can be recognized by their tusks. (Both male and females walruses have tusks.) Walrus use their tusks to fight, to defend against predators and to haul their massive bodies out of the ocean and on to ice. Those characteristic tusks, which are actually long teeth, can weigh up to 12 pounds (5 kg) each.  The walrus’ whiskers are not hairs, but actually extremely sensitive, tactile organs, much like a cat’s whiskers. The walrus uses these whiskers to seek out food along the seafloor… (read more: OurAmazingPlanet)           (photo: Liz Labunski/USFWS) View high resolution

Fun Facts About Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus)

by Elizabeth Gannon

Walruses are one of the largest flippered marine mammals. Male walruses weigh up to 3,700 pounds (1,700 kilograms), while females tip the scales at about 2,700 pounds (1,200 kg).

In the pinniped family, walruses are second in size only to elephant seals. Their flippers are flexible like hands, and each flipper has five digits.

They have a broad head, small eyes, and can be recognized by their tusks. (Both male and females walruses have tusks.)

Walrus use their tusks to fight, to defend against predators and to haul their massive bodies out of the ocean and on to ice. Those characteristic tusks, which are actually long teeth, can weigh up to 12 pounds (5 kg) each. 

The walrus’ whiskers are not hairs, but actually extremely sensitive, tactile organs, much like a cat’s whiskers. The walrus uses these whiskers to seek out food along the seafloor…

(read more: OurAmazingPlanet)           (photo: Liz Labunski/USFWS)

dendroica: Walruses rest on ice floating along the northern coast of Spitsbergen (Picture: Stephen Kazlowski / Barcroft Media) (via Walruses up close: Steve Kazlowski photographs the giant Arctic mammals - Telegraph) View high resolution

dendroica:

Walruses rest on ice floating along the northern coast of Spitsbergen

(Picture: Stephen Kazlowski / Barcroft Media)

(via Walruses up close: Steve Kazlowski photographs the giant Arctic mammals - Telegraph)

(Reblogged from dendroica)
magicalnaturetour: Walrus by Will Burrard-Lucas :) View high resolution

magicalnaturetour: Walrus by Will Burrard-Lucas :)

(Reblogged from magicalnaturetour)
heybeast12: Day 2 — Walrus — Chris — Dublin, OH

heybeast12: Day 2 — Walrus — Chris — Dublin, OH

(Reblogged from heybeast12)
Male Walruses Got It Goin’ On by Live Science staff Male walruses grab the attention of ice-lying females with loud vocalizations, including underwater bell-like sounds, clicks and pulses, as well as teeth-clacking and whistles above the surface. In this polygynous society, males defend a large harem of females that join him underwater for copulation. To keep up with so much water romping, the bulky bulls are equipped with a penis bone called a baculum, which extends up to 30 inches — the longest of any living mammal. (via: Live Science)     (image: Phil Alatalo, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) View high resolution

Male Walruses Got It Goin’ On

by Live Science staff

Male walruses grab the attention of ice-lying females with loud vocalizations, including underwater bell-like sounds, clicks and pulses, as well as teeth-clacking and whistles above the surface. In this polygynous society, males defend a large harem of females that join him underwater for copulation. To keep up with so much water romping, the bulky bulls are equipped with a penis bone called a baculum, which extends up to 30 inches — the longest of any living mammal.

(via: Live Science)    

(image: Phil Alatalo, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Protecting Life in the Arctic The U.S. Arctic Ocean may be remote and have extreme weather, but it plays a critical role in supporting coastal communities and many remarkable species, including bowhead whales, ice seals, walrus, and polar bears. The Department of the Interior (DOI) recently released its plans for new oil and gas lease sales in this vulnerable area, even though 3.8 million acres are already leased offshore. Tell DOI it should not include new lease sales in the U.S. Arctic Ocean until: the large gaps in our understanding of the Arctic marine ecosystem identified by USGS are filled; biological hot spots and subsistence use areas are identified and excluded from the leasing program; and oil spill containment and response equipment is tested and proved to work in extreme Arctic conditions, including broken ice. You can help protect the Arctic Ocean! Please send a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and tell him that, without a science plan, protection of important areas, and infrastructure and technology to support a major spill response effort, DOI should not offer more of the U.S. Arctic Ocean for sale. (Tell Your Lawmakers to Protect The Arctic) View high resolution

Protecting Life in the Arctic

The U.S. Arctic Ocean may be remote and have extreme weather, but it plays a critical role in supporting coastal communities and many remarkable species, including bowhead whales, ice seals, walrus, and polar bears. The Department of the Interior (DOI) recently released its plans for new oil and gas lease sales in this vulnerable area, even though 3.8 million acres are already leased offshore.

Tell DOI it should not include new lease sales in the U.S. Arctic Ocean until:

  • the large gaps in our understanding of the Arctic marine ecosystem identified by USGS are filled;
  • biological hot spots and subsistence use areas are identified and excluded from the leasing program; and
  • oil spill containment and response equipment is tested and proved to work in extreme Arctic conditions, including broken ice.

You can help protect the Arctic Ocean! Please send a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and tell him that, without a science plan, protection of important areas, and infrastructure and technology to support a major spill response effort, DOI should not offer more of the U.S. Arctic Ocean for sale.

(Tell Your Lawmakers to Protect The Arctic)