On a drifting slab of sea ice, a walrus hooks its tusks over the edge and heaves its huge body out of the water. Minutes earlier it was 80 metres down on the dark seafloor, finding clams by touch alone.
Walruses are adapted to cold, shallow Arctic seas. Their tusks help them haul out onto ice and win fights, hundreds of sensitive whiskers let them find clams in the dark, and up to 10 cm (4 in) of blubber keeps them warm. A suction-pump mouth lets them eat thousands of clams in one meal.
Key takeaways
- Tusks are long upper canine teeth that never stop growing. They are used to haul out, to fight and to show rank, not to dig.
- Whiskers: about 400 to 700 of them, sensitive enough to tell the shape of objects by touch (SeaWorld).
- Blubber up to 10 cm thick, and in winter it can make up a third of a walrus’s body mass.
- Suction feeding: an adult may eat 3,000 to 6,000 clams in one feeding session.
What are the 3 key adaptations of a walrus?
- Tusks (structural): for pulling out onto ice, fighting rivals and showing rank.
- Sensitive whiskers (structural): for finding food by touch on the dark seafloor.
- Thick blubber and skin (structural and physiological): for staying warm in water near freezing.
What are the structural, behavioural and physiological adaptations of a walrus?
Structural adaptations are body parts, behavioural ones are things a walrus does, and physiological ones are how its body works inside. Walruses rely on all three to feed on the seafloor and keep warm in icy water.
| Type | Adaptation | What it helps with |
|---|---|---|
| Structural | Tusks up to 100 cm (39 in) in males | Hauling out, fighting, rank |
| Structural | 400–700 whiskers in 13–15 rows | Finding prey by touch |
| Structural | Blubber up to 10 cm; skin 2–4 cm thick | Warmth, protection in fights |
| Structural | Piston-like tongue | Sucking clams out of shells |
| Behavioural | Squirting jets of water at the seafloor | Uncovering buried prey |
| Behavioural | Hauling out in large herds | Rest, safety, raising calves |
| Physiological | Slower heart rate and redirected blood on dives | Saving oxygen underwater |
| Physiological | Skin blood vessels that narrow in cold water | Holding in body heat |
What do walruses use their tusks for?
Walruses use their tusks to haul out of the water onto ice or rocky shores, to fight, and to show off their rank. Both males and females have tusks, which are long upper canine teeth that never stop growing. They can reach 100 cm (39 in) in males and 80 cm (31.5 in) in females (SeaWorld; ADF&G).
In a herd, rank depends on tusk length, body size and how aggressive a walrus is. Walruses with small or broken tusks tend to rank lower, says SeaWorld. A big pair of tusks is a bit like a badge that other walruses can read from a distance, which can settle a dispute without a fight.
Do walruses dig for food with their tusks?
No. This is one of the most common walrus mistakes. Wear marks on walrus tusks show that they drag through the mud as a walrus feeds, but they are not used to dig up prey, says SeaWorld. The real digging tools are the whiskers, the snout and jets of water.
How do walrus whiskers work?
A walrus’s whiskers, called vibrissae, are its main way of finding food. It has about 400 to 700 of them in 13 to 15 rows on its snout. They are “extremely sensitive tactile organs”, wired to the brain by a large network of nerves, and studies show walruses can tell the shape and size of objects with them (SeaWorld).
That matters because the seafloor where walruses feed is dark and often murky. Researchers think walrus eyesight is not as sharp as that of other seals and sea lions, and it doesn’t need to be: their prey moves slowly or not at all. Imagine finding your keys in a dark room by sweeping your fingertips across the table. A walrus does that with its face.
How do walruses eat clams?
Walruses suck their food out of its shell. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says a walrus pulls its piston-like tongue back fast, creating suction that draws prey into its mouth. It sucks off the soft foot and siphon of a clam and swallows them whole, says SeaWorld.
Walruses may also take mouthfuls of water and squirt powerful jets at the seafloor to uncover buried prey. An adult may eat 3,000 to 6,000 clams in a single feeding session and eats about 3% to 6% of its body weight a day. Besides clams, they eat snails, worms, sea cucumbers and other seafloor animals. Read more in what walruses eat.
How does blubber keep a walrus warm?
Blubber is a thick layer of fat under the skin that slows heat loss. In walruses it can be up to 10 cm (3.9 in) thick, and in winter it may make up a third of total body mass, says SeaWorld. On top of that, walrus skin is 2 to 4 cm (0.8 to 1.6 in) thick, thickest on the neck and shoulders of adult males.
Warm bodies lose heat 27 times faster in water than in air. Walruses also control blood flow to their skin. In cold water the blood vessels near the skin narrow, which is why a walrus can look pale or almost white after a long swim. On warm days the vessels widen to shed heat, and walruses turn pink. Walruses have been seen in air as cold as −35 °C (−31 °F).
Picture it: the walrus winter coat
Thickness of the layers that keep a walrus warm, drawn to scale.
Walrus hair: about 1 cm
Walrus skin: 2–4 cm
Walrus blubber: up to 10 cm (about the width of your palm)
Source: SeaWorld. Together, skin and blubber can be about 14 cm (5.5 in) thick.
How deep can a walrus dive?
Walruses usually dive no deeper than about 80 m (262 ft), because their food lives on shallow seafloors. One documented dive reached 113 m (371 ft) and lasted 25 minutes, but most dives last up to about 10 minutes, says SeaWorld. They then breathe at the surface for about a minute.
During a dive a walrus’s heart slows, and blood is sent to the heart and brain first. Its muscles hold lots of myoglobin, a protein that stores oxygen. Muscles in the throat keep water out of the windpipe while the mouth is open underwater.
Why do walruses gather in huge herds?
Walruses are very social. They gather in groups of hundreds and seldom haul out alone, says SeaWorld. Herds help them rest and watch for danger. Their main predators are killer whales and polar bears (ADF&G).
Crowds have a downside. When a packed haul-out of tens of thousands panics, calves and yearlings can be crushed in the stampede. That is one reason people, boats and aircraft must keep their distance. In the United States, walruses are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (USFWS). See also what eats polar bears and what polar bears eat.
How do walrus calves survive?
Walrus mothers invest a lot in each calf. Pregnancy lasts about 15 months, the longest of any seal or sea lion. Calves are born on ice floes in late spring weighing about 63 kg (140 lb), and they stay with their mothers for about two years, reaching about 340 kg (750 lb) (ADF&G). Walruses may live up to 40 years.
What role do walruses play in the Arctic ecosystem?
Walruses are seafloor gardeners. By feeding on clams, worms, snails and other animals on and below the seafloor, they shape the communities that live there, says the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Their water jets and dragging tusks stir up sediment as they forage. In turn, walruses, especially calves, are food for polar bears and killer whales.
Walruses depend on sea ice as a floating platform to rest on between dives over feeding grounds. Changes in how thick the ice is and how long it lasts affect where they can go and feed (ADF&G). The IUCN Red List lists the walrus as Vulnerable (2016 assessment), based on an expected decline in the quality of its habitat.
Myths about walruses
Myth: Walruses dig up clams with their tusks.
Fact: Wear on the tusks shows they drag through the mud, but walruses find prey with their whiskers and uncover it with water jets (SeaWorld). Why people believe it: the tusks look like the perfect digging tool.
Myth: Only male walruses have tusks.
Fact: Both sexes have tusks. Females’ are shorter and more slender, up to about 80 cm. Why people believe it: photos usually show big bulls.
Myth: Walruses are pink because they are sunburned.
Fact: They turn pink when blood vessels in the skin widen to shed heat in warm weather, and look pale after a long swim in cold water (SeaWorld). Why people believe it: the colour change looks like a human sunburn.
Test yourself
1. What are walrus tusks made of?
They are enlarged upper canine teeth that keep growing throughout life.
2. How does a walrus find clams in the dark?
With its 400 to 700 sensitive whiskers.
3. How thick can walrus blubber be?
Up to 10 cm (3.9 in).
Where to next?
➡️ Go wider: what behavioural adaptations are⬆️ Go deeper: what walruses eat🔀 Go sideways: polar bear adaptations
Frequently asked questions
Can walruses sleep in the water?
Walruses mostly rest when hauled out on ice or land, often in big herds. We could not find a Tier A or B source with measured details of how they sleep in water, so we have not given figures here. They do surface to breathe for about a minute after every few minutes underwater.
Do walruses have ears?
Yes. Their hearing is probably sensitive: walruses have answered imitated calls from about 1.6 km (1 mile) away, says SeaWorld. Their sense of smell in air is also well developed.
How heavy are walrus tusks?
We could not find a reliable published weight for walrus tusks, so we have left it out. What is documented is their length: up to about 100 cm (39 in) in males and 80 cm (31.5 in) in females, according to SeaWorld. They keep growing throughout life.
Are walruses endangered?
The walrus is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List (2016 assessment). Loss of Arctic sea ice is the main concern, because walruses use ice as a resting platform over their feeding grounds. A 2006 survey estimated about 129,000 Pacific walruses, but that estimate is uncertain.
Sources
- SeaWorld Parks (United Parks & Resorts). All about walruses: physical characteristics.
- SeaWorld Parks. All about walruses: adaptations.
- SeaWorld Parks. All about walruses: diet and eating habits.
- SeaWorld Parks. All about walruses: senses.
- SeaWorld Parks. All about walruses: behavior.
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Walrus species profile.
- US Fish and Wildlife Service. Pacific walrus.
- Odobenus rosmarus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016 (assessed 5 February 2016).
Sources checked 12 October 2026.
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