Walrus

Scientific name -- Odobenus rosmarus Size -- 10 feet long, up to 3000 lbs. Diet -- clams, worms, snails, cephalopods Walruses are large marine mammals. Although they spend most of their time diving up to 250 feet deep in search of food, humans typically encounter walruses only when the great mammals are resting or caring for young on beaches and ice floes, often in large numbers. Walruses live only in Arctic waters, where they are kept warm by a layer of blubber up to six inches thick. Both males and females have long tusks, but these are apparently not used to gather food. Males use their tusks in battles for dominance. Both ##### also use them to pull themselves out of the water, and perhaps to anchor their bulk when resting on ice. Walrus have unusual pockets in their esophagus that they can fill with air in order to remain afloat when sleeping. The genus name in Greek means "he who walks with his teeth".