Walrus Research

Walrus Research

It is very hard to learn a great deal about the walrus in their natural environment. They live where it is very cold and spend so much of their time in the water. The do seem to adapt very well to their natural habitat. It is through the use of tracking devices, aerial surveillance, and even observing walruses in captivity that we have been able to gain some insight about them.

All walruses have the full use of the different senses. This helps them to survive in their natural habitat. They have a great sense of hearing and it is believed that they can hear calls up to a mile away. Many of the Eskimo hunters use walrus calls to get their prey to come up for air before they attack it.

Perhaps their worst of all the senses is sight. They have small eyes that can be rotated forward. While they do have a decent sense of vision, it isn’t as good as many other marine animals. Since they rely upon other senses for finding food though it isn’t a huge ordeal for them or a weakness.

One of the strangest things that has been noted with the walruses though is that some of them are killing themselves in a given location. There is a cliff in Alaska that is part of the Maggie Beach. Since 1994 it has been a source of much debate. The walrus go to the edge of it and jump off to their deaths. One starts it all and then others follow which shows that they are dedicated to their social structure order. None of them turn around and it is believed that it is due to them being too large in size to be able to turn around.

While conservation groups want to block this area off so that they walruses can’t access it, others argue that we need to allow them to continue with their natural behaviors. Yet when you count up anywhere from 40 to 150 of them dying annually there it is sad that we can’t take charge of the problem and save the lives of these walruses.

There are many gaps and holes when it comes to the information we have about walruses. Further research has to be conducted in order to find out all we can about them. The use of creative research methods though is necessary due to the inaccessibility of so many of them. Such tools have made it possible for us to learn some about them but the mystery around them still remains.

Through the use of tracking devices there has been plenty of information learned. For example we understand a great deal about their migration process than before. We are able to see that they do shift in regards to the herd that they happen to be in at any given time. Tracking devices have also helped to identify the life span of some of these walruses as they can be worn for a very long time.

For those that are very interested in the research involving walruses, it is important to take a close look at them. There are plenty of great reports out there that you can easily read to stay updated about what is going on. This type of information can help to further feed your desire to learn about them. There are more efforts for research out there taking place than you might be aware of. If you can’t be a part of it first hand, the next best thing is to learn about what is taking place and then follow the results that are recorded.