The Walrus

1
The Walrus

• Matt Stern
• Mike Mayernik
• Shannon Jones
• Jim Cyrs

2
I Am the Walrus

• Pinniped- pinnWing pedisFin
• Marine Mammal
• Lives in Arctic Circle
• Two populations
• Pacific Walrus
• Atlantic Walrus

Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Mammali
a Order Carnivora Suborder Caniformia Superfamil
y Pinnipedia Family Odobenidae Genus Odobenus S
pecies O. rosmarus
http//www.itsnature.org/Ice/images/article-images
/walrus.jpg
http//images.livescience.com/images/071008-walrus
-04.jpg
3
Distribution

• Sea Ice!
• Atlantic Walrus (22,000)
• Northeastern Canada and Costal Greenland
• Pacific Walrus (200,000)
• Continental shelf waters of Bering Sea, and
  Chukchi Sea

http//www.morsearctic.net/images/morse-dist.png
4
Distribution History

• Inhabited Northern water for approx. 15 million
  years
• Previously distributed south of the Bering Land
  Bridge
• After last glacial age, sea level rose, enabling
  the Walrus to move north to the Arctic sea ice
  (80 inhabit here).

http//instaar.colorado.edu/QGISL/bering_land_brid
ge/
5
Are You My Mother?

• Caniform ancestor, most closely related to the
  modern bear (dog-like suborder of Carnivora)
• Walrus only surviving species of Odobenidae,
  which was once a widespread family with over
  twenty species.
• Few ancestrial fossils found in permafrost in
  northern Siberia, and Virginia/Georgia coast

http//www.fossil-treasures-of-florida.com/images/
cavebear.jpg
http//static.howstuffworks.com/gif/walrus-sleep-w
ithout-drowning-2.jpg
6
Life History

• Reproduction
• Breeding occurs in February/March
• Gestation- 15 months
• 3-4 months spent with blastula in suspended
  development (delayed implantation)
• Give birth on Ice
• Weight Up to 4,400 lbs (male), 1,500 lbs (female)

http//static.howstuffworks.com/gif/walrus-5a.jpg
http//www.lawlibrary.co.za/notice/updates/2006/im
ages/shell_wildlife_photographerofyear_2006.jpg
7
Some More Life History

• Diet
• Clams, snails, crabs, shrimp, worms
• Stay under water for seven minutes while feeding
• Keystone species
• Predators
• Orca
• Polar Bear
• Humans

http//www.vintagepostcards.org/auctions/alaska-es
kimo-walrus-hunting-omiak-native-american.jpg
http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38
/Orca_porpoising.jpg
http//www.greenpeace.org/raw/image_full/internati
onal/photosvideos/photos/polar-bear-in-arctic
8
Migration

• Ice flow advance/retreat
• Spring and Fall Migration
• Follows food

http//gothamist.com/attachments/jen/2008_10_zooh1
.jpg
9
Human Impacts

• Commercial Hunting
• Human Occupation
• Oil and Natural Gas Exploration
• Weather Stations

http//lh3.ggpht.com/_EhtIqjYhTkQ/Rqln_PXZlQI/AAAA
AAAAAlk/2ujjGBuaYh8/DSCF4193.JPG
http//www.alaska-in-pictures.com/data/media/17/ae
rial-monopod-oil-rig_3217.jpg
10
Conservation Status!

• Not listed as endangered
• Commercial Walrus Act 1941
• US Marine Mammal Protection Act 1972
• Recent proposal to be listed as threatened
• Population 200,000-250,000
• Under 50,000 in 1950s (commercial explotation)

http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileWalross_kolonie.
jpg
http//www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/wal
rus/images/pic-zoological-parks.jpg
11
Walrus Monitoring

• Aerial Surveying
• 1975-1990
• Inefficient/Inaccurate
• Modern Techniques
• Thermal Scanning
• Digital Photography
• Radio Tags

http//3.bp.blogspot.com/_ltonPQWBJGU/R0x47vF-AuI/
AAAAAAAABSg/MqpFeAeUYVw/s400/VillumJensenwithCr
ossbow.jpg
http//www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/images/content/16
3673main_walrus2_large.jpg
12
Future Conservation Concern

• Global warming
• Decreasing sea Ice
• Lowest Ice pack recorded summer 2007

http//blog.pennlive.com/green-living/2008/12/larg
e_walrus.jpg
13
references

• Chadwick, Jay V., and Anthony S. Fischbach.
  "Pacific Walrus Response to Arctic Sea Ice
  Losses." Pacific Walrus Response to Arctic Sea
  Ice Losses. 2008. U.S. Geological Survey. Feb.
  2009 lthttp//pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2008/3041gt.
• Conservation Plan for the Pacific Walrus. June
  1994. USFWLS. Feb. 2009 lthttp//alaska.fws.gov/fi
  sheries/mmm/walrus/pdf/wconpln.pdfgt.
• Current Research on Pacific Walrus. 10 Sept.
  2008. USFWLS, Marine Mammals Management. Feb.
  2009 lthttp//alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/walrus/c
  urrent.htmgt.
• Pacific Walrus Alaska Stock. 12 July 2002.
  USFWLS, Marine Mammals Management. Feb. 2009
  lthttp//alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/walrus/report
  s.htmstockgt.
• Manville, R.H., Favour Jr., P.G. 1960. Southern
  Distribution of Atlantic Walrus. In American
  Society of Mammologists. pp49
• Nowicki, Ian Stirling, Becky Sjare (1997).
  "Duration of stereotypes underwater vocal
  displays by make Atlantic walruses in relation to
  aerobic dive limit". Marine Mammal Science 13
  (4) 566575.
• Pacific Walrus, September 1992. National Audubon
  Society. Beringia Natural History Notebook
  Series. December 1995.lt http//www.nps.gov/archive
  /bela/html/walrus.htmgt
• Pacific Walrus Alaska Stock. NOAA Fisheries.
  August 2002. NMFS 2009. lthttp//www.nmfs.noaa.gov/
  pr/pdfs/sars/fws2002_walrus-p.pdfgt
• DFO, 2000. Atlantic Walrus. DFO Science Stock
  Status Report E5-21 (2000).
• Ray, G.C., McCormick-Ray J., Berg P., Epstein
  H.E. 2005. Pacific Walrus Benthic Bioturbator of
  Beringia. In Journal of Experimental Marine
  Biology and Ecology. Vol.330 Issue1, March 7,
  2006 pp 403-41