What kind of food do walruses eat?

Walrus, that is, the elephant in the sea, is a mammal of the walrus family, with a large body, thick and wrinkled skin, sparse bristles, small eyes, poor eyesight, and two long teeth. unlike land elephants with fat heads, big ears, long noses and stout limbs, their limbs have degenerated into flippers due to adaptation to life in the water. Let's take a look at what walruses eat.

What kind of food do walruses eat?

Walruses eat a variety of food, but do not eat fish, mainly feed on branchial molluscs, but also prey on squid, shrimp, crabs and worms, and sometimes occasionally swallow a small amount of young plants in the water and organic sediment on the seafloor. The walrus first inserts its tusks into the sea floor, swings its head to turn over the sediment on the sea floor, uses sensitive and flexible muzzle and tentacles that move like antennae to find food, and then uses the rough palm of the inner surface of the forelimb to clamp the shell and grind it. At the same time, after floating up for a period of time, the walrus releases the palm to separate the broken shell from the shell, and then dives again to suck the slowly falling shell into the mouth. It is said that they occasionally prey on seals or narwhals, but instead of using their powerful tusks as weapons, they hold each other with their forelegs, overwhelm them and drown under the water before slowly eating them.

The living habits of walruses

Walruses are gregarious animals, living amphibious lives in cold water and on land ice, ranging from dozens to hundreds to thousands of animals in each group. In order to recover from the fatigue after swimming in the sea for a long time, he sleeps and rests most of the time on land, sometimes staggering with tusks and short hind legs, which is very clumsy and funny. But in the sea water, relying on a streamlined body, developed muscles and powerful flippers, they move freely, are very alert, push with their hindlegs, turn with their forelegs, reach a speed of 24 kilometers per hour, and can dive to a depth of less than 70 meters. can complete feeding, courtship, mating and other activities.

Breeding habits of walruses

Each male has a large number of females, and during the breeding season, they establish their own territory on the beach, the best position is occupied by the strongest males, and the lower ones can only find a place at the end of the beach. some are forced to lie on the rocks in the sea. The territory does not have rocks or other objects as landmarks, and it varies according to the number of females occupied by males. When other males break in, there will be a fierce struggle, attacking each other with fangs and strong necks until the outcome is decided, so the males are often scarred. After the breeding population is formed, there will be no major changes. Male courtship often rolls in the water, making wonderful and harmonious sounds, similar to the noisy signals of cetaceans.

Population status of walruses

Walruses are also particularly sensitive to changes in the marine environment. Due to the large-scale exploitation of oil and natural gas, the habitats of many walruses have been polluted, so that they can no longer survive and become extinct, and the distribution area is gradually shrinking. With the rising demand for walrus tusks, the walrus hunting industry is also developing, and the hunting tools and methods have been continuously improved, which has dealt a devastating blow to the living conditions of walruses, and the population has plummeted from millions two or three centuries ago to less than 70,000.