Walrus
Habitat for Walruses are increasing on Svalbard. An environmental success.
Walrus is some species we see more and more in Svalbard. Every individual represent a great encounter with a personality. The populations are growing after being almost exterminated back in the 1960`s.
There are two populations of walrus. The Atlantic walrus with approximately 25,000 and the Pacific walrus with 200,000. They feed on invertebrates, mussels, clams, crabs and soft corals.
They have been recorded being capable of diving to a shocking depth of up to 500 meters but generally don’t go much deeper than 30 meters. The bigger the animal the deeper the dive due to the ability to hold more oxygen in their body. These deep dives beyond 100 meters are not routine behavior as they generally spend time on ice flows where it´s shallower so that they can feed easily while the ice also provides a place for them to rest