The Walrus is Screwed

Photo: USGS

Photo: USGS

Everybody wants to talk about polar bears when it comes to climate change, but walruses are equally effed. I talked to a walrus researcher with the USGS recently to learn why these ferocious whisker beasts need sea ice to survive. Here's an excerpt:

"This bellicose behemoth can outweigh a Honda CR-V. Its blubber rolls have blubber rolls, and the walrus sports a mustache not even Tom Selleck could pull off. Its most recognizable feature—a pair of three-foot ivory tusks—makes the bucktoothed beast one of the most dangerous creatures on sea ice. Unfortunately, this homeliness means walruses are often on the short end of the conversation about climate change and its consequences. But make no mistake, the frumpy walrus is every bit as effed as its awww-inducing neighbors."

Go read it! "Burning Blubber: As warmer summers melt the Arctic, Pacific walruses have to work a lot harder to reach their seafloor feasts."

Jason Bittel