The walrus is a large marine mammal instantly recognizable by its long tusks and whiskered snout, inhabiting the frigid Arctic seas. Determining if this creature is a carnivore is complex, as the answer depends on its biological heritage versus its functional diet. Although the walrus belongs to a taxonomic group historically associated with meat-eaters, its actual feeding habits are highly specialized to the shallow seafloor.
The Walrus’s Biological Classification
From a scientific standpoint, the walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is definitively classified within the Order Carnivora. This means that despite its current diet, the walrus shares a deep evolutionary lineage with land-based predators like bears and weasels. The walrus belongs to the parvorder Pinnipedia, a group that includes all seals and sea lions, which branched off from terrestrial ancestors millions of years ago. This classification is based on its genetic history and anatomical structure, providing the technical answer to its taxonomic status, but it does not fully represent the animal’s specialized lifestyle.
The Predominant Walrus Diet
The functional diet of the walrus contrasts sharply with the typical image of a carnivore, as it is overwhelmingly a specialist feeder on benthic invertebrates. Its food consists primarily of small organisms found on the ocean floor, particularly bivalve mollusks like clams and mussels. Walruses also consume marine worms, sea cucumbers, and various crustaceans, foraging along continental shelves in depths typically between 10 and 50 meters.
An adult can consume a tremendous volume of prey, sometimes eating between 3,000 and 6,000 clams in a single session. They must eat approximately 3% to 6% of their total body weight daily to sustain their massive bulk. Consumption of other marine mammals, such as small seals, is rare and usually attributed to a small subset of large, older males.
Specialized Feeding Mechanisms
The walrus is equipped with unique physical adaptations that enable it to maintain its specialized invertebrate diet on the dark, murky seabed. The most important tool is the walrus’s dense mat of 400 to 700 highly sensitive vibrissae, or whiskers, which are heavily innervated. These stiff, tactile whiskers sweep the ocean floor, acting as sensory probes to locate buried prey in the low-visibility environment.
Once prey is located, the walrus utilizes a powerful suction-feeding technique to extract the soft tissue. The animal forms a seal with its muscular lips and rapidly retracts its piston-like tongue, creating a strong vacuum within the vaulted palate. This suction pulls the meat directly out of the clam shells, which are usually left behind. Although the tusks are prominent, their primary roles are for breaking through ice, establishing dominance displays, and helping the animal haul itself onto ice floes, not for digging up or killing prey.