“I am the Walrus”
“Goo goo g’joob”…The Beatles, John Lennon
This small 3 passenger prop plane is how I arrived on this isolated beach along the Aleutian Peninsula in Alaska to photograph a large walrus herd. Photo courtesy Chas Glatzer
I LOVE photographing walruses
huge tusks, massive blubbery bodies, mustached face, lumpy-bumpy skin and brown to pinkish-red coloration.
Variations in skin color are caused by constriction or dilation of small blood vessels in their skin. When on land the vessels dilate to aid in cooling their huge bodies resulting in more pinkish skin color.
A cool bed of ice… this walrus mom & pup bob happily in this ice bath. Video clip was taken from a small inflatable boat in Svalbard, Norway.
While photographing in the arctic. I had this close encounter with a curious walrus on a sandbar beach in Svalbard, Norway. Video courtesy Daniella Sibbing
Walruses are very social. They often lie very close and even on top of one another, as seen in the photos below.
They are quite at home in icy waters and can easily handle temperatures as low as -30°F.
Both males and females have tusks which may be used as “ice picks” to haul themselves onto ice floes. They may also be used for defense and to show dominance.
Their whiskers are used to feel along the seafloor when searching for food which consists largely of mussels and clams. When feeding, they may dive as deep as 250 ft and hold their breath for 30 minutes.
Walrus in Arctic white
Walrus herd
Walrus ice bath
Walrus on the beach
Walrus in the surf
Riding on Mom's back
Walrus huddle
Huddle in the water
Large tusked walrus