Walrus Facts for Kids

Which animal is considered to be the most interesting, the most captivating of all animate beings? Alright kids! Do you know the answer to this question? Hello? Well, I take that silence as a No! Nevertheless, it is the walrus. The walrus is an animal that amazes one and all. Here are some walrus facts that are interesting and intriguing. Read on to double up the fun quotient.

Walrus Facts and Information
The facts enlisted here, in this section have the capacity to captivate you. So tread along cautiously you might just lose your bearings on the way! Tighten your seat belts and here we go...

• The Walrus in Latin language means Odobenus rosmarus, which further entails the 'tooth - walking sea cow'.
• The walrus is an exquisite looking animal. The two long tusks provide testimony to this walrus fact.
• The two tusk like structures are used to pull its own weight from the ocean to the pack ice. This depicts a virtual image of the walrus walking on its tusk.
• Both male and female walrus have tusks, however the tusk of the male animal species are longer.
• The Pacific walrus and the Atlantic Walrus are two sub species of walrus.
• To highlight pacific walrus facts, it can be mentioned that the pacific walrus is larger and bulkier in its appearance than the Atlantic walrus. Chukchi, Bering and Laptev Seas are places that the walrus has chosen as its habitat.
• Interesting walrus facts include the creature having evolved from a land animal. The walrus has been a resident of the arctic region since time immemorial.
• Another walrus fact is that the creature can stay under water for 30 minutes. It is only after 30 minutes that the walrus rises, to bask in some breath.
• The skin, predominantly on the back and neck of the walrus is of a relative thickness, that protects the walrus from 'tusking'. If tusking takes place, injury is occasional and death very rare.
• The walrus has hair-like structures that, in actuality, are not hair. The whiskers are extremely delicate and tactile structures highly responsive to stimuli.
• The walrus diet includes eating mollusks, crabs, sea cucumbers and snails. However, it occasionally feasts on octopus, fish and seal.
• The physical anatomy of the walrus implies him to be a large and bulky animal. The walrus weighs 2000 to 3000 lbs. They can grow up to 12 feet in height. They have an extremely dense and thick skin that helps to keep them insulated in the icy regions. The underside of their flippers is equipped with a coarse hide that provides a grip on the pack ice.
• Another walrus fact is its skin color. Its color is primarily a melange of two shades; gray and brown.

Funny Walrus Facts
Here are some facts about the walrus that kids would love to know. Walrus facts for kids include the following.

• The female walrus is very possessive about its young one. They take care of them for about two years before they are left on their own to fend for their respective selves.
• Walrus is known to have a reserve of blood in order to carry oxygen, constituting 11 to 12% of their body weight.
• The walrus is a socially active animate being that loves to socialize and appreciates physical contact. Another walrus fact is that they make very loud noises below and above the water surface.
• They can make varied noises. They can tap, click, rasp, twitch and grunt very well. A multi-talented creature indeed!
• A fact about walrus is that they don't possess a very powerful sense of sight. Nevertheless, they have an excellent olfactory sense and an amazing sense of smell.
• If the male walrus is accidentally startled, he will splash water with his flippers in such a vigorous manner that he may crush the calves in the process. It is due to this that the calves and female walrus maintain their own herd.
• Another intriguing fact about the walrus, that kids would find alluring, is the animal featuring the color-changing characteristic, similar to that of a chameleon. Their color change may vary between a dark shade of brown and subtle pink. The change in their color is an indicator of the variation in the surrounding temperature and their adjustment in accordance with the same. When the weather is warm, the blood vessels dilate, changing their body color to pink, however to adjust to the cooler conditions, the blood vessels contract, due to which the body resumes a shade of brown.
• Male walrus who are interested in carrying out mating, will intentionally swim and stunt before the female herd. They put up phenomenal vocal demos in front of their female counter parts. Female walrus who are interested in mating as well, leave the pack ice floor and the mating takes place.

These were some of the walrus facts that serve to be interesting and captivating as much as the animal. A word about the walrus extinction. This wonderful creature has been clasped by claws of being an extinct animal. It is, sadly, an endangered animal. It is very important to do our bit to prevent this unfortunate thought from transforming into a reality, with Global warming being one of the major threats for the walrus survival. We don't want to see this disporting animal carefully preserved in a museum, do we?