Getting to Know the Walrus
Apr 24th 2011adminUncategorized
The Walrus is a circumpolar creature who makes him home in the Arctic Ocean and the sub-arctic seas in the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living member of the Odobenidae family, as well as the only living member of the genus Odobenus. There are three varieties of walrus, the O. rosmarus laptevi from the Laptev, the Pacific walrus from the Pacific Ocean, and the and the Atlantic walrus from the Atlantic Ocean.
It is the Pacific walrus that is native to Alaska and holds a high position in native cultures. The walrus is crucial to not only the native diet, the walrus by-products are also crucial to authentic native handcrafted items. The walrus is protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Commercial hunting of this mammal is banned, but private hunting is not.
The walrus is a pinniped, meaning it is a wing, or fin-footed carnivore, who feeds predominantly on clams, mussels. The Pacific Walrus is the largest of the walrus family and both the male and female are equipped with tusks that can measure from two and a half to three feet in length. The Pacific walrus main habitats are along the continental shelf waters of the Chukchi and Bering Seas.
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