Adult walruses use their magnificent tusks as weapons to ward off predators. Walrus calves tend to be more vulnerable to predators. Examples of organisms that prey on walruses include polar bears and killer whales. Native people living in the Arctic region also hunt walruses for their meat, tusks, bones, and hides.
These arctic Eskimos are the only individuals legally allowed to kill walruses. Walruses play a significant role in the animal food chain as prey and predators. By feeding on benthic organisms, they influence the structure and the local population of benthic invertebrates.
As such, they help maintain a balance in the arctic ecosystem. These enormous organisms sweep on the seafloor to find their food, an activity that exposes buried nutrients considered to be vital for other organisms in the food chain. In general, because of their feeding activity, they support the life of other organisms in their biotic community. In their role as prey, walruses provide a vital source of nutrients to organisms that dine on them, thus promoting their survival.
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Top 15 Best Hawaiian Flowers. Oceana Canada has a tip, eat like a walrus! They have a perfect beach body, ideal for playing in the water and laying around to catch some rays. We can certainly learn from these adorable creatures and emulate their ability to eat well. Walruses eat a nutrient-rich diet that is as healthy for them as it is for the ocean. They eat a wide range of invertebrates, such as crustaceans, octopuses and clams.
So how do walruses eat underwater for so long without air? And how do they tolerate frigid water temperatures? Keep reading to learn how walruses have adapted to endure the harsh climate.
Research shows walruses may be negatively impacted by global warming. As the Earth 's average temperature increases, more and more ice in the polar region recedes. This could be devastating to the walruses because they depend on the ice shelves as a resting ground between dives. The shallow waters where walruses like to feed now have little or no ice for mothers and babies to rest on when feeding. As a result, mothers may have to travel farther to reach feeding and resting grounds.
This means they may become separated from their young. Areas that do have ice shelves are deeper and the walruses are not accustomed to diving that deep for food.
Only time will tell whether the walruses can adapt to the longer commute and deeper dives required because of the ice's retreat [source: Butler ].
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