THE MARINE CARNIVORA 193 



Unlike the seals and the sea lions, the walrus has proportion- 

 ately a very small eye. The upper lip is very much developed 

 and is set with forward-directed bristles, which are a marked 

 feature in the creature's countenance. These exaggerated vibrissae 

 are as thick as crowquills. The upper lip is divided into two 

 great lobes by the vertical groove below the nostrils. These 

 vibrissae, answering to the cat's " whiskers," are thick, coarse, and 

 very numerous in all the seals, but in none of them are they 

 developed to such an extent as in the walrus. They would 

 almost seem to act like the whalebone of the whale a sieve 

 through which the molluscs, sandworms, and star-fishes can be 

 strained free of inedible matter. The great tusks seem to be 

 used for digging into sand and mud in order to rake up bivalve 

 molluscs, crustaceans, and other shore-frequenting creatures on 

 which the walrus feeds. The rounded molars are useful for 

 crushing shells, which are then ejected from the mouth whilst 

 the tongue feels for and retains the soft parts from which 

 the shells have been removed. No doubt the walrus also eats 

 small fish, but it is questionable whether the remains of seaweed 

 found in the stomach have not been introduced accidentally in 

 association with the shell-fish. There seems to be little doubt that 

 the walrus also makes use of its long tusks for hoisting itself 

 up on to ice or on to rocks, and for aiding its progress on land 

 when it is in a hurry. They are certainly used as weapons of 

 offence in defending itself against the polar bear or man and in 

 fighting among the males at pairing-time. 



The walrus is a very big creature, adult males measuring 

 from i o ft. to 15 ft. in length from the snout to the tip of the 

 small tail, and it is said that the largest recorded adult male 

 weighed nearly 3,000 Ib. In the adult the hide is nearly hairless 

 in parts except along the neck. The skin in adults is thrown 

 into a number of folds and wrinkles, especially about the 

 shoulders. Young walruses have the body thickly covered with 

 fine short hair. In the upper parts of the body the hair is 

 yellowish-brown, which deepens into chestnut on the limbs and 

 belly. The breeding season of these animals is from April to 



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