walrus
noun
ˈwäl-\
Definition of walrus
: a large gregarious marine mammal (Odobenus rosmarus of the family Odobenidae) of arctic waters related to the seals that has limbs modified into webbed flippers, long ivory tusks, a tough wrinkled hide, stiff whiskers, and a thick layer of blubber
Note:
The male walrus may reach a weight of over 3700 pounds (1678 kilograms). Walrus typically inhabit moving pack ice and usually feed on organisms (such as clams and mussels) living on or near the ocean's bottom. Walrus of the northern Atlantic are considered a separate subspecies (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) from the somewhat larger northern Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens).
Examples of walrus in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The changes in the sea ice has begun to affect the migration patterns in animals such as whales, seals, and walruses that many Arctic people rely on for survival. — Maka Monture, Teen Vogue, "The Arctic Youth Ambassadors Program Is Bringing Awareness to Environmental and Community Issues in Alaska," 24 Sep. 2018 Among them: Ivory tusks, nearly 25 scrimshawed whale teeth, and two mounted walrus skulls, a store employee told the Anchorage Daily News on Saturday. — Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News, "APD: Suspect in Native art theft arrested with tusk in car," 9 Apr. 2018 The area also hosts one of the world’s major marine migrations of bowhead and beluga whales, Pacific walruses, and ice seals, as well as vast populations of seabirds. — Margaret Kriz Hobson, Scientific American, "Amid Ice Melt, New Shipping Lanes Are Drawn Up off Alaska," 29 May 2018 Polar bears might be the least vulnerable, with four other important species—bearded seals, walruses, bowhead whales and ringed seals—probably falling somewhere in the middle. — Adam Aton, Scientific American, "Ships Threaten Arctic Marine Mammals," 3 July 2018 In Bethel and the nearby villages, life revolved around the season: walrus and wild greens, salmon and seal, all kinds of birds and berries. — Lisa Demer, Anchorage Daily News, "Life in Bethel: Richness and despair, sometimes all in a single day," 10 Feb. 2018 Conan Doyle, a Victorian dynamo with a walrus moustache and a passion for cricket and fair play, felt duty-bound to investigate. — The Economist, "When Arthur Conan Doyle cried “J’Accuse…!”," 7 July 2018 Under federal law Alaska Natives can take walrus for subsistence hunting or for making art, as long as it isn't done wastefully, the filing said. — Alex Demarban, Anchorage Daily News, "Fourth Brevig Mission man charged with waste in killing of 14 walrus," 6 July 2018 Native communities that rely on walrus hunting are seeing catches decline as sea ice disappears. — New York Times, "‘Impossible to Ignore’: Why Alaska Is Crafting a Plan to Fight Climate Change," 15 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'walrus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for walrus
walrus
noun
English Language Learners Definition of walrus
: a large animal that lives on land and in the sea in northern regions and that has flippers and long tusks
See the full definition for walrus in the English Language Learners Dictionary
walrus
noun
\
Kids Definition of walrus
: a large animal of northern seas that is related to the seal and has long ivory tusks, a tough wrinkled hide, and flippers used in swimming, diving, and moving about on land
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