The name for walruses, sea lions and seals is "pinniped" from the scientific point of view. The strongest and the largest pinniped are the walruses. There are two kinds of walruses. They are the Atlantic and Pacific. The two kinds are very alike; the Atlantic is smaller. The spiky whiskers and the tusks are the most noticeable features of a walrus. The walrus is one and a half times bigger than a sea lion. They can grow almost twelve feet and weigh up to 1 and 1/2 tons. One third of the walrus is blubber, or you can just call it fat.
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Walrus live in the really cold parts of the north. They are found in some of the ice packs that flow in the shallow water of the northern regions. In the summer, when there is no ice, the walrus stay mostly in the Arctic Circle. When the ice kind of slithers south, the walrus go with it. The walrus migrate through the Bering Straits and Chukchi Sea to spend the winter.
Walrus eat 120 lbs. of food each day. Shellfish are eaten a lot by walruses. Scientists believe that they simply suck the clams out of their shell. Girl and boy walruses have tusks. The tusks are made of a bone called ivory. The Eskimos carved tusks to make ornaments and tools. When the walrus is four months old tusks begin to grow and don't stop growing until they pass away. Tusks can almost be three feet long and over ten pounds.
Walruses swim very easily because of their size. This is because their size helps them float so well and when you float well you swim better. Walruses have large, triangular, hind flippers. When walruses flip their flippers they are able to rush through water very fast. The flippers in the front are for steering. They can also go under water for twelve minutes.
The walrus skin is thick and they have three inches of blubber that helps keep them warm. If a walrus gets too hot their blood is pumped into the blubber where it can be cooled. A walrus's skin is pink color. Baby walrus are four feet long when they are born and they weigh about 130 pounds. Baby walrus are called calves. Almost all the calves are born in the month of May. The mother walruses carry their calves on their backs. A walrus calf will stay with his or her mother for two years. After that they will join the herd. Walrus do not live as a family. Male walruses live together in one herd and females with their young live in another herd. They love to rest on large rocks. Sometimes you can see several thousand walruses crowded together.
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