The only living species is walrus.

The walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus ) is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere.

The walrus is the only living species in the Odobenidae family and Odobenus genus.

This species is subdivided into three subspecies: the Atlantic walrus ( O. r. rosmarus ) which lives in the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific walrus ( O. r. divergens ) which lives in the Pacific Ocean, and O. r. laptevi, which lives in the Laptev Sea of the Arctic Ocean.

A walrus, labeled Ros marus piscis, is depicted in а 16th-century map of Scandinavia ( the Carta Marina ).

The origin of the word walrus is thought to derive from a Germanic language, and it has been attributed largely to either the Dutch language or Old Norse.

The archaic English word for walrus — morse — is widely thought to have come from the Slavic languages.

The walrus is a mammal in the order Carnivora.

The key distinguishing feature was the development of a squirt / suction feeding mechanism ; tusks are a later feature specific to Odobeninae, of which the modern walrus is the last remaining ( relict ) species.

Where the subspecies separation is not accepted, whether to consider it a subpopulation of the Atlantic or Pacific subspecies remained under debate until 2009, when multiple lines of molecular evidence showed it to represent the westernmost population of the Pacific walrus.

The most prominent feature of the walrus is its long tusks.

Surrounding the tusks is a broad mat of stiff bristles (' mystacial vibrissae '), giving the walrus a characteristic whiskered appearance.

Aside from the vibrissae, the walrus is sparsely covered with fur and appears bald.

Because ovulation is suppressed until the calf is weaned, females give birth at most every two years, leaving the walrus with the lowest reproductive rate of any pinniped.

The walrus palate is uniquely vaulted, enabling effective suction.

Seal tissue has been observed in fairly significant proportion of walrus stomachs in the Pacific, but the importance of seals in the walrus diet is under debate.

However, even an injured walrus is a formidable opponent for a polar bear, and direct attacks are rare.

Commercial walrus harvesting is now outlawed throughout its range, although Chukchi, Yupik and Inuit peoples continue to kill small numbers towards the end of each summer.

Currently, two of the three walrus subspecies are listed as " least-concern " by the IUCN, while the third is " data deficient ".

The Pacific walrus is not listed as " depleted " according to the Marine Mammal Protection Act nor as " threatened " or " endangered " under the Endangered Species Act.

Global trade in walrus ivory is restricted according to a CITES Appendix 3 listing.

Both in Chukotka and Alaska, the aurora borealis is believed to be a special world inhabited by those who died by violence, the changing rays representing deceased souls playing ball with a walrus head.

Seal and walrus were also utilized.

The film's main action sequence, when Nanook hunts a walrus, was also a staged event.

Tusks are also used to form and maintain holes in the ice and aid the walrus in climbing out of water onto ice.

Both the orca and the polar bear are also most likely to prey on walrus calves.

Because of its distinctive appearance, great bulk, and immediately recognizable whiskers and tusks, the walrus also appears in the popular cultures of peoples with little direct experience with the animal, particularly in English children's literature.

The Norse also carved items in walrus ivory, notably the Lewis chessmen.

The inland Iñupiat also hunt caribou, dall sheep, grizzly bear and moose, where the coastal Iñupiat hunt walrus, seals, beluga whales and bowhead whales.

He had a starring voice role as Booster in the 2000 series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and also played a hulky walrus named Dash in the 2000 Disney movie The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.

The deposits also yield the remains of marine vertebrates such as sharks and rays, bony fish, baleen whale, walrus, and dugong.

Bearded seal and walrus also feed on benthic invertebrates.

The St. Lawrence Island Yupik people are also known for their skill in carving, mostly with materials from marine mammals ( walrus ivory and whale bone ).

They primarily used the harpoons to hunt seal, but also hunted larger sea mammals such as walrus and narwhals.

He edited Connoisseur Magazine from 1981 to 1991 ; along with his memoirs of his time at the Met, he is also the author of books on a number of art-related subjects, including art forgeries, Grant Wood, Andrew Wyeth, Tutankhamen, and the 12th-century walrus ivory crucifix known as the Bury St. Edmunds Cross.

His brother, Bradley Bolke, was also a voice actor best known as the voice of Chumley ( Tennessee Tuxedo's walrus sidekick ) on Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales, and the syndicated version of The Underdog Show.

In some instances, the facial hair of the walrus moustache not only drops over the mouth but also extends downward at each corner.

There are also significant concentrations of walrus at walrus haulouts at the base of cliffs or on offshore islands at the northern end of the island ( one each at Cape Pembroke and Cape Prefontaine ).

Documented sources of human infection have also included game meats, such as wild boar, bear, walrus, fox and cougar.

It is also a hibernating area for polar bears, and walrus can be found there.

Harryhausen also said he planned to have Sinbad and his crew fight a yeti in the arctic, but that this idea was rejected in favor of a giant walrus.