I Am the Walrus and I am Dying
by William Grady
The walrus is one of the animals that comes to mind when you think about the Arctic wilderness. Walruses have wrinkled brown and pink hides, long white tusks, grizzly whiskers, flat flippers, and bodies composed of blubber. Walruses can grow from 7.25-11.5 feet long and can weigh up to 1.5 tons. The walrus’ scientific name, Odebenus rosmarus, means “tooth-walking sea-horse” in Latin, which is due to the walrus’ use of its tusks to haul their enormous bodies from the water onto ice or land. Walrus use their sensitive whiskers, mustacial vibrissae, as devices to detect their mainly shellfish diet on the ocean floor.
The walrus is one of the most profoundly interesting animals in the world that soon may never be seen again. The extinction of the walrus is part of a big problem that has been ongoing for years with continued disregard. Its extinction depends heavily on global climate change, the issue that might define our generation and the environment for the future generations. Arctic temperatures have increased at twice the rate of the rest of the world and may increase by 8o C by the end of the century. This warming trend is causing the arctic ice to melt at 12% per decade, which suggests that the Arctic will be ice-free by 2030.
Females and their calves usually use the sea ice to rest and find food to eat. With the rapidly decreasing levels of Arctic ice, the ice has recently been more limited to areas over deep water, where walruses can’t feed because they are typically bottom feeders, at shallow depth. Limited sea ice in walrus feeding habitats leads to a high concentration of walruses in shallow coastal areas. A group of 35,000 walruses has recently gathered on an Alaskan beach which normally never sees them. Walrus numbers on some Russian beaches may number as high as 100,000. To put this in perspective, the pacific walrus population numbers more than 200,000 worldwide, although no survey has been provided as a reliable estimate, due to the inability to count swimming walruses. A single Russian beach may have slightly less than half of the total walrus population at a single time.
Walruses in this kind of high concentration may quickly exhaust the food supply near coastal areas. Another major problem is the threat of stampedes. Walrus stampedes occur regularly due to events like a rock falling off a cliff or a large group of seabirds taking flight. These stampedes lead to the injury and death of many young walrus calves and weaker walruses. Another major concern is poaching. Poaching has previously led to a large decline in the walrus population. Now, illegal poaching may again be a grand concern with walruses in such high concentrations, making it much easier to hunt the walruses for their blubber and tusks. In addition, if an oil spill occurred in the area of high walrus concentration, it would be devastating to the population.
What can we do to help the walrus? This is a question that is hard to answer. The Wildlife Conservation Society is currently studying the walrus haul-out use, population demographics, disturbance factors, and causes of mortality. Other than studies and research, what more can we do? My answer is almost nothing. It is depressing, but true. We can’t reverse arctic ice degradation. That would have to be an organized global effort, which is almost impossible. We are almost helpless in helping animals such as the walrus and polar bear. The walrus decline is almost inevitable unless it adapts quickly and starts to populate areas in much smaller herds. We need to do something to help the walrus, but what can we do?
[Photo, Walrus Cows on Ice Nursing Calves, by USFWS/Brad Benter licensed by CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]
by William Grady
The walrus is one of the animals that comes to mind when you think about the Arctic wilderness. Walruses have wrinkled brown and pink hides, long white tusks, grizzly whiskers, flat flippers, and bodies composed of blubber. Walruses can grow from 7.25-11.5 feet long and can weigh up to 1.5 tons. The walrus’ scientific name, Odebenus rosmarus, means “tooth-walking sea-horse” in Latin, which is due to the walrus’ use of its tusks to haul their enormous bodies from the water onto ice or land. Walrus use their sensitive whiskers, mustacial vibrissae, as devices to detect their mainly shellfish diet on the ocean floor.
The walrus is one of the most profoundly interesting animals in the world that soon may never be seen again. The extinction of the walrus is part of a big problem that has been ongoing for years with continued disregard. Its extinction depends heavily on global climate change, the issue that might define our generation and the environment for the future generations. Arctic temperatures have increased at twice the rate of the rest of the world and may increase by 8o C by the end of the century. This warming trend is causing the arctic ice to melt at 12% per decade, which suggests that the Arctic will be ice-free by 2030.
Females and their calves usually use the sea ice to rest and find food to eat. With the rapidly decreasing levels of Arctic ice, the ice has recently been more limited to areas over deep water, where walruses can’t feed because they are typically bottom feeders, at shallow depth. Limited sea ice in walrus feeding habitats leads to a high concentration of walruses in shallow coastal areas. A group of 35,000 walruses has recently gathered on an Alaskan beach which normally never sees them. Walrus numbers on some Russian beaches may number as high as 100,000. To put this in perspective, the pacific walrus population numbers more than 200,000 worldwide, although no survey has been provided as a reliable estimate, due to the inability to count swimming walruses. A single Russian beach may have slightly less than half of the total walrus population at a single time.
Walruses in this kind of high concentration may quickly exhaust the food supply near coastal areas. Another major problem is the threat of stampedes. Walrus stampedes occur regularly due to events like a rock falling off a cliff or a large group of seabirds taking flight. These stampedes lead to the injury and death of many young walrus calves and weaker walruses. Another major concern is poaching. Poaching has previously led to a large decline in the walrus population. Now, illegal poaching may again be a grand concern with walruses in such high concentrations, making it much easier to hunt the walruses for their blubber and tusks. In addition, if an oil spill occurred in the area of high walrus concentration, it would be devastating to the population.
What can we do to help the walrus? This is a question that is hard to answer. The Wildlife Conservation Society is currently studying the walrus haul-out use, population demographics, disturbance factors, and causes of mortality. Other than studies and research, what more can we do? My answer is almost nothing. It is depressing, but true. We can’t reverse arctic ice degradation. That would have to be an organized global effort, which is almost impossible. We are almost helpless in helping animals such as the walrus and polar bear. The walrus decline is almost inevitable unless it adapts quickly and starts to populate areas in much smaller herds. We need to do something to help the walrus, but what can we do?
[Photo, Walrus Cows on Ice Nursing Calves, by USFWS/Brad Benter licensed by CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]