I am the Walrus Trivia Quiz

Answer: Having finned feet

Pinnipeds are a group of carnivores that include walruses and seals. Pinnipeds are identifiable by their finned feet that help them swim and travel across ice. Pinnipeds tend to be blubbery and live in cold climates, but it is not a requirement and some species of pinnipeds live in warmer climates.

Answer: Can see in all directions but not for very far

Walruses can protrude their eyes to see in several different directions. However, a walrus can only see a short distance ahead. This is typically not a problem as walruses have few predators and tend to inhabit shallow waters where excellent eyesight is not needed.

Answer: Male

Male walruses tend to be two or three times larger than females. A male Pacific walrus can weigh over 4,000 pounds while an Atlantic male can weigh over 2,000. Conversely, a female Pacific walrus weighs only about 1,800 pounds and the female Atlantic walrus can weigh as little as 800 pounds. Most of a walrus' body weight can be attributed to its blubber that keeps it warm in frigid temperatures.

Answer: Digging

Both male and female walruses have tusks. A male's tusks are bigger and males will fight other males to gain control of a colony. Males also use their tusks as a way to attract females. The bigger the tusks, the better chance a male has of finding a mate. The final way a walrus uses its tusks is to help lift themselves onto the ice after being in the water. Walruses are very heavy and their legs are not powerful enough to lift themselves onto the ice. The tusks act as a stabilizer that makes it easier for a walrus to push itself up.

Despite popular belief, walruses do no use their tusks for digging. They actually use their snout to find food on the ocean floor.

Answer: Penis bone

The baculum is a penis bone that is found in many mammals. A walrus' baculum can be up to 25 inches long. The primary function of the penis bone is to make reproduction easier but it also functions as something like a shield to protect a walrus' organs from pressure changes while diving. Female walruses have an equivalent bone called a baubellum.

Answer: Whale

The word walrus might have evolved from the Dutch word for whale "walvis". This is the theory of J.R.R. Tolkien who was a professor of English. Another possibility is the Norse word "hrossvalr" which means horse whale or the Dutch "wal reus" which means giant of the shore.

Answer: Orcas and polar bears

Orcas and polar bears can both hunt walruses but typically do not do so. Both animals prefer other prey that are easier to catch. Walruses will defend themselves using their tusks or simply dive away from orcas or polar bears, making them a non-ideal prey. Typically when targeting a walrus, a predator will try to severely injure it first. Humans also hunt walruses primarily for their blubber and skin.

However, such a practice is rare, decreasing and practiced only by people in polar climates.

Answer: Clams

A walrus will feed on all of those items but it prefers bivalves such as clams. A walrus uses its snout and whiskers to create a suction force along the ocean bed to suck in clams and other small prey. There is very little food found in its habitat that a walrus will not eat.

Other things that a walrus will eat are crabs, corals, tubeworms and seals. However, typically speaking a walrus will not hunt other mammals but may pick at the carcass of one.

Answer: Helps them float

Like other pinnipeds, walruses have air sacs in their throats that help them dive and return to the surface. Walruses only dive about 200 feet below sea level (comparatively low to other pinnipeds) but the throat sacs are still needed to prevent water from filling up the lungs and drowning. Primarily, walruses use their throat sacs to keep their heads above water while swimming or sleeping in the water.

Female walruses use the air sacs to aide in feeding their young while male walruses use them to attract a mate. When a male inflates his air sacs, they make a "love song" that attracts females.

Answer: Antarctica

Walruses only live in the Northern Hemisphere at or near the Arctic Circle. They inhabit the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans as well as other frigid bodies of water. Walrus fossils have been discovered around the world, implying walruses once inhabited a larger area than they do now. Walruses do migrate but not for long distances. Walruses were once very endangered but moratoriums on hunting have brought their numbers up somewhat but they are still considered vulnerable because of climate change.