P I N N I P E D I A 1
THE WALRUSES
F a m ily T r ic h e c h id j e
T h e W a lru s e s d iffer so m e w h a t fro m b o th th e e a re d se a ls, O ta riid a , a n d th e tru e
sea ls, P k ocida, a n d y e t m a in ta in c e rta in c h a ra c te ris tic s o f b o th fam ilie s. W h d e
p o ss e ssin g h in d -flip p e rs w h ic h b e n d fo rw a rd u n d e r th e b o d y lik e th o s e o f th e
e a re d se a ls, th e y d o n o t sh o w a n y e x te rn a l e a rs, a n d in th is re sem b le th e tru e
se a ls. I n o n e m a rk e d re sp e c t th e y d iffer fro m e ith e r g e n u s, n am e ly in th e ir
d e n titio n , w h ic h is c o a rse r a n d m o re sim p ly fo rm e d , w h ils t th e u p p e r c a n in e s a re
g re a tly d e v e lo p e d ; so m u c h so a s to fo rm lo n g tu s k s . T h e s in g le e x istin g g e n u s
em b ra c e s o n ly o n e sp ecies, a lth o u g h A m e ric a n n a tu ra lis ts h a v e e n d e a v o u re d to
o b ta in specific r a n k fo r th e W a lru s o f th e P acific, w h o se d ifferen ces a re o n ly
e x te rn a l, p rin c ip a lly in th e lo n g e r a n d th in n e r tu s k s .
T h e W a l r u s
Odobcenus rosmarus, Linnaeus.
Trichechus2 rosmarus, Linn. ‘ Syst. Nat.' 12th ed. vol. i. p. 49 (1766).
Rosmarus arcticus, Pallas, ‘ Zoog. Rosso-Asiat. i. 269 (1811).
Odobcenus rosmarus, Allen, ‘ North Amer. Pinn.’ p. 23 (1880).
Local Names.— Sea-horse, Sea-cow (English and American sealers); Hvalross, Harvhest,
Hvalruus (Swedish, Danish and Norwegian); Morse, Vache marine (French);
Wallross, M eerpferd (German); M orsk (Lapp) ; Aw uk (Greenland Eskimo).
Characters.— T h e siz e o f th e W a lru s is so m e tim e s v e ry g re a t, re a c h in g in
so m e m a le s to 15 feet (F lem in g ). U s u a lly th e y a re fro m r o to 12 feet, a n d w e ig h
» I have not been able to prepare the Mustelida in time to insert them in their proper place, which should be after the
4 The generic name Trichechus has been rejected, for it has been pointed out by Mr. Allen and Mr. Oldfield Thomas
that it was based upon the manatee.