Odobenus Rosmarus Classification

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Walrus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Walrus (disambiguation).
Walrus
Noaa-walrus22.jpg
Conservation status

Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Caniformia
Clade: Pinnipedia
Family: Odobenidae
Genus: Odobenus
Brisson, 1762
Type species
Phoca rosmarus
Linnaeus, 1758[2]
Subspecies
O. rosmarus rosmarus
O. rosmarus divergens
O. rosmarus laptevi (debated)

Odobenus rosmarus distribution.png
Distribution of walrus
Synonyms
Phoca rosmarus Linnaeus, 1758

Walrus cows and yearlings (short tusks). Photo courtesy USFWS
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 family Odobenidae and genus Odobenus. This species is subdivided into three subspecies:[3] 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. …show more content…

Adult males in the Pacific can weigh more than 2,000 kg (4,400 lb)[4] and, among pinnipeds, are exceeded in size only by the two species of elephant seals.[5] Walruses live mostly in shallow waters above the continental shelves, spending significant amounts of their lives on the sea ice looking for benthic bivalve mollusks to eat. Walruses are relatively long-lived, social animals, and they are considered to be a "keystone species" in the Arctic marine

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