Marine Mammals
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(Odobenus rosmarus) I have just returned from a trip to Norway and the Arctic. Svalbard is a fabulous place but photography was quite challenging. Surprisingly light was often poor and as we were on a ship and only occasionally on zodiacs the wildlife was quite far away most of the time.
Music: I Am The Walrus by The Beatles
I am the egg man
They are the egg men
I am the walrus
Goo goo g'joob
- Songwriters: John Lennon / Paul Mccartney
Photo inspired by The Beatles Abbey Road (1969) Album Cover by Iain Macmillan
Svalbard, Norway
Odobenus rosmarus
walrus
morse
Walross
morsa
tricheco
morsa
Many thanks for your views, favorites and supportive comments.
All rights reserved. Fons Buts©2024
My photos may not be used on websites, blogs or in any other media without my written and explicit permission.
a group of male Walrus on an island in the Svalbard archipelago , Norway
Odobenus rosmarus
walrus
morse
Walross
morsa
tricheco
morsa
Many thanks for your views, favorites and supportive comments.
All rights reserved. Fons Buts©2024
My photos may not be used on websites, blogs or in any other media without my written and explicit permission.
An uncommon visitor. Atlantic Walruses are usually seen high in the Arctic but occasionally one will be seen on ice flows or the beaches in Nfld. This one was unusual in that it was on a popular beach near St John's and seen by hundreds of people.
He lay half hidden in the rocks the first day but yesterday was forced to move to the beach area to avoid getting wet(!!) by the incoming tide. As the water rose he kept having to come higher onto the beach. Finally in the afternoon he had enough rest and sunshine and headed off to sea perhaps for some mussel or clam fishing.
Middle Cove, NL
This is a male Walrus on a beach on Edgeoya in the Svalbard archipelago. You can see they are covered in fine hair which is greeny brown and looks to me almost like it is covered in moss. The baggy skin also reminds me of an ill-fitting suit. Male Walruses hang around on favourite beaches in groups while the females look after the young, again in groups, but not coming ashore where the young would be vulnerable to Polar Bears. Adults Walruses have a 5cm thick skin which is used to being jabbed by tusks so Polar Bears cannot usually make an impact with their teeth and claws, though a thinner skinned juvenile would not be safe. Male Walrus are larger and heavier than females with longer tusks. Big males can weigh more than a metric tonne and can have tusks over a metre long, though I have never seen one with such long tusks.
Meet Magnus, a young Walrus that is touring the Moray coastline, Scotland.
I was lucky to spot him at Findochty Harbour while on a campervan trip.
Last May, a walrus ended up on a beach near St John's. The first evening he hauled up on some rocks and had a long snooze. Every now and then he would lift his head and make deep gurgling noises. Here he is making this noise.
The second day he moved to the beach to avoid incoming tides.(Previous posts)
Middle Cove, NL
These guys have so much personality. They mostly look like they are trying to get comfortable and failing miserably.
Explore 8/22/26.
we saw a few groups, and I missed the one coming out of the water II was under the weather that morning). Great experience to see these massive animals snug together. scratch, grant, and basically relax with your mates. This large male still bears scars from the last mating season.
Odobenus rosmarus
After seeing the celebrity Walrus that frequented Tenby in Wales a few year's ago, I doubted that I would ever see another....
On New Year's Eve frantic messages came through that 'Thor' the travelling male who had been seen in France, Holland and briefly southern England, had turned up in Scarborough harbour, where he spent the day mainly sleeping...
Large crowds gathered, but it was a well behaved throng with lots of families taking the chance to see this rare arctic wanderer.
Walruses huddle to keep warm as maintaining body temperature takes a lot of calories in a cold environment. They do it so habitually that the collective noun for Walruses is huddle, or sometimes herd. It is also advantageous should an incautious Polar Bear decide to have a go. They usually assort themselves into single sex groups and it is typically males that loaf about on beaches. Ironically I took this photograph at the site of the old whaling town of Smeerenburg where thousands of Walruses were slaughtered. I used a narrow aperture here so I could keep the Walruses and the background mountains in focus.
This is a young male Walrus, just over a year old, and newly independent from his mum. His tiny tusks had just started to appear though they are not visible here. The time spent with their mothers varies, but can be up to five years. Males become sexually mature at about 7 years old, though they are not large enough in body and tusk to compete for a female until they are about 15. In the wild they usually live for 20-30 years. This one was all on his own at Hamiltonbukta in north Spitsbergen. Males usually hang around in all male huddles but this one has already acquired a few tusk scars, but with no way of fighting back, so seemed happy with his own company for now.