Tusks and whiskers on a young walrus

Hi Kids,

A couple of you asked about my tusks. Handsome, aren’t they? My tusks are extra long canine teeth. Some day, they’ll be super long!

Walrus tusks can grow up to 3 feet and weigh as much as 12 pounds! That’s the weight of a small turkey! (so I’ve heard, we don’t have those in the Arctic.) Female walrus’ have tusks, too.

My tusks help determine my rank in the herd, that and my body size and how tough or aggressive I am. I also use them to pull myself out of the water, to break holes in the ice from below and to defend myself against other male walrus’ or even a polar bear.

That’s it for now. See you later.

Dudley