What animals does a walrus eat?

What animals does a walrus eat?

Walruses prefer molluscs – mainly bivalves such as clams. They also eat many other kinds of benthic invertebrates including worms, gastropods, cephalopods, crustaceans, sea cucumbers, and other soft-bodied animals.

Is a walrus a cold blooded animal?

Most of the rest of the animal kingdom—except birds and mammals—are cold-blooded. In most instances, the size and shape of an organism dictate whether it will be warm-blooded or cold-blooded. Think about some large animals—elephants, whales, and walruses. For that reason, nearly all large animals are warm-blooded.

Are walrus carnivores?

Omnivorous
Walrus/Trophic level

Will a walrus eat a human?

Unlike walruses, polar bears have been known to hunt humans as prey. That is why we take polar bear safety so seriously. Walruses have been known to attack humans too, but generally only in self-defense. Walruses would prefer to haul-out on sea ice, where they are somewhat safer from polar bear attacks.

Are walruses good to eat?

Many residents of coastal communities in northern and western Alaska consume walrus and other marine mammals as part of subsistence hunting, or hunting for survival. This tradition is critical to their nutrition, food security and economic stability, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

How do walruses feed?

While walruses eat all sorts of small aquatic creatures, their food of choice is clam. To find clams, walruses dive to shallow sea floors and search with their sensitive vibrissae (whiskers). Once food is found, walruses seal their lips to the clam’s shell and quickly withdraw their tongues back into their mouths.

What animal is walrus?

walrus, (Odobenus rosmarus), also called morse, huge, seal-like mammal found in Arctic seas. There are two subspecies: the Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) and the Pacific walrus (O. rosmarus divergens). Male Pacific walrus are slightly larger, with longer tusks.

Is walrus an amphibian?

Walruses are mammals, not amphibians. However, the word “amphibian” derives from the Greek words amphi (meaning “both”) and bios…

Why are polar bears scared of walruses?

In the water, walruses are out of reach for polar bears. In fact, an aggressive walrus can be dangerous for a polar bear in the water. In the water, too, walruses generally react to polar bears as to predators – they fear and avoid them.

How does a walrus survive in the Cold?

A walrus’s dense layer of fat helps it to survive temperatures well below freezing. You can tell this walrus is quite warm by its pink skin.

What kind of food does a walrus eat?

As their favorite meals, particularly shellfish, are found near the dark ocean floor, walruses use their extremely sensitive whiskers, called mustacial vibrissae, as detection devices.

What kind of hair does a walrus have?

Walruses do have hair, which they gradually shed and replace over the summer months. But this hair is only 0.3 to 0.5 inches (7mm-12mm) long and plays little, if any, role in keeping the animals warm.

Where do Walruses live in the Arctic Circle?

The mustached and long-tusked walrus is most often found near the Arctic Circle, lying on the ice with hundreds of companions. These marine mammals are extremely sociable, prone to loudly bellowing and snorting at one another, but are aggressive during mating season.