Question 1

True or false: A walrus's skin can be over two inches thick, providing excellent protection from cold and predators.

Accepted Answer

True. Their blubber and thick, tough hide (up to 4 cm) insulate them and shield against walrus fights and polar bear attacks.

Question 2

True or false: Walruses can hold their breath for up to 30 minutes while foraging on the ocean floor.

Accepted Answer

True. They dive for clams and mollusks at depths of up to 90 meters, with some dives lasting nearly half an hour.

Question 3

True or false: Walruses are closely related to seals and sea lions, belonging to the same family.

Accepted Answer

False. Walruses are the only living members of the family Odobenidae, while seals and sea lions belong to Phocidae and Otariidae, respectively.

Question 4

True or false: Walruses are known to migrate thousands of miles every year, following the sea ice.

Accepted Answer

False. While they do move with shifting ice, their migrations are relatively short, usually only a few hundred miles, not thousands.

Question 5

True or false: Walruses can use their tusks to help them haul their massive bodies onto ice floes.

Accepted Answer

True. Their tusks act as ice picks or hooks, allowing them to anchor and pull their 1.5-ton bodies out of the water.

Question 6

True or false: Male walruses use their tusks primarily to dig for clams on the ocean floor.

Accepted Answer

False. They use their sensitive whiskers and snouts to forage, not tusks. Tusks are for fighting, dominance displays, and hauling out.

Question 7

True or false: A walrus's whiskers are actually highly sensitive hairs that can detect prey buried in the seabed.

Accepted Answer

True. These vibrissae contain thousands of nerve endings, letting them feel shellfish through mud in dark, murky waters.

Question 8

True or false: All walruses have a distinctive, loud bellow that can be heard over 10 miles away underwater.

Accepted Answer

False. Only males produce these bell-like sounds during breeding season, and they are audible for several miles, but not reliably over 10.

Walrus Trivia Questions