Yes, female walruses do have tusks however, unlike male’s tusks the female’s tusks are probably shorter and slightly thinner too. Males usually use their tusks to show dominance within the group—something that females aren’t supposed to do that. Nevertheless, females use their tusks to climb out of the water as…
Keep ReadingWalruses have a circumpolar distribution in that most subspecies inhabit Pacific waters while others are primarily found in the Atlantic seas. Scientists have yet to determine the conservation status of a walrus precisely due to their circumpolar distribution. However they are most likely to be found in Bering and Chukchi…
Keep ReadingPerhaps you might like to know what do walruses eat. Walruses are foraging and opportunistic predators that actively feed on bivalve mollusks. Apart from these, some other invertebrates on the menu of these animals include gastropods, crustaceans, amphipods, cephalopods and others. Fishes like polar cod may also become occasional diet…
Keep ReadingThe scientific name of a walrus is Odobenus rosmarus in which the word ‘Odobenus’ is derived from a Greek word Odous (tooth). The binomial name of a walrus means tooth-walking sea horse. Walruses have unusually long protruding teeth called tusks. Why Do Walruses have Tusks? Elephants and woolly mammoths are…
Keep ReadingBottlenose dolphins are found on the tropical, subtropical and temperate coastal waters around the world. Bottlenose dolphins are coastal and pelagic species. The inshore form are territorial species and are found over a wide range of coastal habitats including seashores, large estuaries, bays, rocky reefs, lagoons, seagrass beds and other…
Keep ReadingBottlenose dolphins are the most common species of dolphins. They are known worldwide for their ability to do tricks like using tools and doing mimicry, thanks to their participation in aquarium shows. For communication, bottlenose dolphins use various sounds and movements like squeaking, whistling and sometimes, leaping high into the…
Keep ReadingBottlenose dolphins are carnivores and they tend to eat a wide variety of prey. But they usually live off benthic (bottom-dwelling) fish. Apart from schooling fishes, dolphins also feed on a wide range of other prey species like squids, eels, shrimps and other crustaceans and invertebrates (including cephalopods). What Do…
Keep ReadingIn this article you’ll get to know about the sea otter population as well as how many sea otters are left in the wild. Recently, the southern population has grown in some measure to more than 3,000 individuals. After 1980s, the northern population off southern Alaska has not shown any reduction and…
Keep ReadingDuring the late 1700s, the Americans and Europeans were the first people who migrated to the northern Pacific for hunting these animals for pelts. The two states that took the lead in the trade of sea otters were Spain and Russia. During the early 1800s, the Russian and American traders…
Keep ReadingSea otters are keystone species i.e. they help in conserving the underwater kelp forests by devouring the sea urchins, thus sustaining one of the world’s most productive ecosystems. These coastal kelp ecosystems provide food source for many marine animals and tiny creatures like sea urchins tend to graze on such…
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