![]() ![]() But actually, walruses wouldn’t need to come to land if there were sufficient ice in coastal waters during the summer. We mentioned already that polar bears hunt walruses by exploiting their need to return to land. Both polar bears and walruses need to be treated with all possible respect and caution.ĭespite all that, humans are far more dangerous to polar bears and walruses than they are to us. ![]() Nevertheless, one must be very careful not to put a walrus into a defensive position, as a dangerous situation can quickly develop from a seemingly benign one. Walruses have been known to attack humans too, but generally only in self-defense. That is why we take polar bear safety so seriously. Unlike walruses, polar bears have been known to hunt humans as prey. Polar bears are generally more dangerous on land, while walruses are more dangerous in the water. Which is more dangerous to people, a polar bear or a walrus?īoth animals are dangerous to a deadly degree, both on land and in the water. Once a walrus makes it to the water, escape is certain because walruses are substantially more powerful and agile in the water than polar bears. We have observed a hauled-out walrus shuffle his way to the water with a polar bear on its back, the bear’s claws firmly embedded into the walrus’s thick hide. A polar bear can occasionally catch a fleeing walrus on land, but even the biggest polar bear cannot subdue a healthy adult walrus. A marauding polar bear will only rouse the whole group into a panicked charge back into the sea, where they are safe. Walruses, by contrast, are gregarious animals that usually come ashore in large, tightly packed groups. Just imagine how devastatingly effective polar bears would be if they hunted in packs! But they never do - they are solitary hunters. What’s amazing is that, unlike lions and wolves, bears do not hunt cooperatively. This might not be so surprising, considering that lions and wolves hunt prey much larger than themselves. Walruses are the largest pinnipeds (seals) in the Arctic but they are not top predators they eat primarily mollusks from the seabed.ĭespite the huge disparity in size, polar bears do hunt walruses. An adult male walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) can weigh more than 2,000 kg (4,400 lb), about three times as much as a polar bear. Which is bigger, a polar bear or a walrus?Ī mature male polar bear (Ursus maritimus) can weigh more than 700 kg (1,500 lb), making it one of the largest land carnivores on Earth. ![]() A few of our expedition team members weighed on the subject of these two fearsome creatures to give their views on who really rules whom. Within the frozen realm of this renowned monarch, there lives another powerful Arctic denizen who does not readily submit to ursine rule - the mighty walrus. pollution = the process of making air, water etc.The polar bear is often called the king of the Arctic.inland = away from the coast, to the centre of an island or land.fur = the thick soft hair that covers the bodies of some animals.desperately = to do anything to get what you want and need.climate change = global warming the atmosphere of the earth is getting warmer because heat is trapped in it.attract = create a centre of attention for, to pull towards.attack = to use violence to hurt or harm someone.Polar Bears Could Face Extinction Earlier Than Thought.Polar Bears Are Becoming Smaller Because of Global Warming.As more and more polar bears and humans are starting to share the same living areas, encounters are will probably be more frequent and more people may die from polar bear attacks. When polar bears attack humans, it is mostly because they are very hungry, desperately in need of food. Chemicals and other waste may have an effect on the body and bones of polar bears. They can go on for a longer time without food, but they do get aggressive when they can’t find anything to eat.Īnother study suggests that polar bears are in danger of becoming extinct because of increasing pollution in the Arctic region. As more and more ice is melting, experts think that fewer polar bears will be able to survive. Polar bears do most of their hunting on sea ice. Polar bears live all across the Arctic region, in Russia, Scandinavia, Alaska and Canada. ![]()
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