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Walruses are often called the tooth-walking sea horses. They cuddle their young calves like the way human mothers do. They are unique creatures that spend two thirds of their live in the water. The staff at Sugar Land Chiropractors think it would be great to see walruses. Walruses live in the northern reaches of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They mainly eat clams, sea cucumbers, coral, a variety of mollusks, shrimp, crabs, tube worms, tunicates and another small organism. Walruses are easily recognized state Sugar Land Chiropractors, with their long tusks, their whiskers, and their blubbery skin. They eat all sorts of small aquatic creatures. Their favorite food is clams, but these can be difficult to find. Walruses dive to shallow ocean floors and search with the sensitive whiskers which are called vibrissae. Once the walrus finds a clam it will seal its lips to the clamís shell and quickly withdraw its tongue back into its mouth. This will create a vacuum and allow them to suck the clam right out of its shell. Walrus also prey upon seals and narwhales. Walruses can dive to a depth of about 80 ñ 90 meters and stay underwater for 30 minutes at a time.
Walruses herd together on ice floes and on the shore. The herds are separated by sex. Relations become less friendly during mating season. Male walruses will fight for dominance over a harem of females. Sunbathing walrus can gather in the hundreds. During mating season, these numbers might even go up to the thousands. If startled, a stampede of walrus has been known to crush members of its own herd. On land a walrus can move quickly, matching the running speed of a human. This would be a sight that Sugar Land Chiropractors would like to see. Because they only have flippers, they will use their front flippers to undulate and drag themselves along. While swimming walruses become graceful, using full body movement to glide through the water. The staff at Sugar Land Chiropractors would be interested in seeing the walruses both on land and in the water. In the Atlantic Ocean and in the Pacific Ocean thousands of walruses can be seen migrating north for the summer season, when the waters open from under the ice. Male walruses become sexually mature around the age of 7. However, they are usually unable to dominate other males for mating privileges until they reach the age of 15 or higher. Females are sexually mature as early as 4 years of age. From January through March males will fight each other for dominance. The more prominent makes will then swim around groups of females, emitting vocal sounds from a large air sack under their throat. A female stays pregnant for 15 months. Calving occurs during the spring migration (April through June of the year following the impregnation. Calves can swim immediately upon birth. Mothers nurse their young for over a year and the young stay with the mother until the age of 5.
Walruses usually live to be about 20 to 30 years old in the wild. Estimates put the worldwide walrus population at about 230,000. It is estimated the there is about 200,000 walruses in the Pacific Ocean, about 20,000 live in the Atlantic Ocean on the northeast coast of North America and about 10,000 live in the Laptev Sea area.
Because of their size and tusks, walruses only have two natural predators, killer whales and polar bears. However, both predators prefer to attach seals because they are an easier prey. Historically the greatest hunter of walruses is human. The staff of Sugar Land Chiropractors are saddened with the thought of humans preying on walruses. Walruses have many valuable parts that a human prey can use. They will eat walruses for their nutrition when other food is not readily available. The flippers especially are considered a delicacy in many areas. Their tusks and bones are used for tools, art and fashion. The oil from a walrus can be used as a source of light and heat. The hide can be used for tarps, boat covering and be made into a rope.
The walrus uses its tusk for fights between males for dominance over a harem. They will also be used to aid in hauling the walrus up onto the ice. Tusks can be used as protection against predators. Walruses will also use their tusk to hook onto an ice flow so they can rest in the water. It would be interesting for the Sugar Land Chiropractors to see a walrus with its tusk on an ice flow as the walrus drifts behind and rests. Walruses spend about 2/3 of their life in the water. While underwater, their heart rate slows so they do not become too cold. A walrus can bellow extremely loudly. Female walrus will move away from the heard to give birth. Walruses are easily recognized by their long tusks. Humans have taken walruses into captivity mainly for entertainment and aquariums. Many people, such as those at Sugar Land Chiropractors, find walruses to be fascinating animals. They have both front and back flippers which help them to swim.
There is still a lot that we do not know about walruses. Much of what walruses do has not been observed by humans. This is due to the isolated regions in which walruses live. Much of what we know about walruses has been observed of those in captivity. However, how they act in the wild and in captivity may be different. The staff at Sugar Land Chiropractors would like to know that scientist are continuously studying walruses. The feeding habits of walruses are very interesting. They consume food s form the bottom of the water. They have also been known to feed on seal carcasses. Due to the large size of these animals they must consume large amounts of food daily. Generally, they will eat about 6% of their overall body weight each day. The skin of a walrus is very think. This offers protection from extremely cold water. A walrus can remain under water for up to 30 minutes before coming up for air. Walruses seem to have a high level of communication with other walruses. They also have a desire for physical contact with each other.