“Tooth walking sea horse.” That’s the meaning of Odobenus rosmarus divergens – the scientific name for the Pacific walrus – a name inspired by how the walrus punctures the ice with its tusks to haul its 4,000-pound body out over the ice.
The walrus’ natural life span is 50 years, but the chances of a Pacific walrus surviving that long under today’s climate change conditions are getting slimmer every year.
Out of Ice, Out of Food
Plankton grows underneath sea ice, or “pack ice” – ice that forms on top of the sea water, not attached to any landmass. Feeding on the plankton are dozens of marine organisms that represent the walrus’ food supply. As the ice shrinks every year, so does available plankton. And the less plankton there is attracting mussels, clams and shrimp, the less food there is for the walrus.
But even if the Arctic were swimming with more than enough food, the Pacific walrus wouldn’t have the means to reach it all.
Females and their young ride sea ice as it travels north using it as a platform for diving for food. But with Arctic sea ice now at its lowest point since scientists started taking measurements nearly thirty years ago, females and their young are being forced to abandon their at-sea feeding grounds. This lack of sea ice is stranding the Pacific walrus on land, and thousands – mostly females and their young – are dying each year from stampedes in dense colonies.
Worst of all, it’s predicted that summer sea ice will be gone by 2012 and that winter sea ice will be reduced 40 percent by 2050!If you want to help save the Pacific walrus, let your Senators know you want truly comprehensive global warming legislation like the Climate Security Act and urge permanent protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas development.
Pushing for Protection
The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a petition to protect the Pacific walrus under the Endangered Species Act. If protected, the Pacific walrus would join the polar bear as the first two species protected because of the threat of climate change.
Yet, global warming is no the only threat to the Pacific walrus habitat.
There are 17 bills pending that would open up the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas development. With gas prices going through the roof, there’s a big danger that this kind of legislation could pass, further threatening the habitat of the Pacific walrus. Especially disturbing about this possibility is that according to a government study, recovering the estimated 3.2 billion barrels of oil in ANWR would only be enough to fuel U.S. for six months!
