Walrus

Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) are large semi-aquatic mammals that live in the cold Arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. There are six populations in the Arctic: four in the Atlantic Ocean, one in the Pacific Ocean, and one in the Laptev Sea. Two or three subspecies exist: Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus of the Atlantic, Odobenus r. divergens of the Pacific, and Odobenus r. laptevi of the Laptev Sea, considered by some to be a third subspecies. The Pacific walrus is slightly larger, with males weighing up to 1,900 kg (4,180 lb), but Atlantic males top out at 1,600 kg (3,500 lb). The walrus should not be confused with the elephant seal, another large pinniped, and despite the etymology of its name (variously attributed to combinations of the Dutch words for "whale" walvis and "horse" ros[1] or "shore" wal and "giant" reus[2]), it is not related to the whales. The most likely origin of the word is Old Norse hrossvalr "horse-whale", which was passed in a juxtaposed form to Dutch and the North-German dialects of the Hanseatic league as walros, Walross [Dansk Etymologisk Ordbog, Niels Age Nielsen, Gyldendal 1966].