War of 1812 and Walrus: Difference between pages
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[[sv:1812-års krig]] |
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<tr><th align="center" bgcolor=pink>'''Walrus'''</th></tr> |
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[[History]] -- [[Military history]] -- [[War]] |
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</td></tr> |
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<tr><th align="center" bgcolor=pink>'''[[Scientific classification]]'''</th></tr> |
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<tr><td>[[Kingdom (biology)|Kingdom]]:</td><td>[[Animal]]ia</td></tr> |
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<tr><td>[[Phylum (biology)|Phylum]]:</td><td>[[Chordate|Chordata]]</td></tr> |
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<tr><td>[[Class (biology)|Class]]:</td><td>[[Mammalia]]</td></tr> |
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<tr><td>[[Order (biology)|Order]]:</td><td>[[Carnivora]]</td></tr> |
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<tr><td>[[Family (biology)|Family]]:</td><td>Odobenidae</td></tr> |
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<tr><td>[[Genus]]:</td><td>''Odobenus''</td></tr> |
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<tr><td>[[Species]]:</td><td>''rosmarus''</td></tr> |
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</table> |
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<tr><th align="center" bgcolor="pink">'''[[Binomial name]]'''</th></tr> |
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<tr><th align="center">''Odobenus rosmarus ''</th></tr> |
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</table> |
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'''Walruses''' are large semi-aquatic [[mammal]]s that live in the cold [[Arctic]] seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The two subspecies are the Atlantic, ''Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus'', and the Pacific, ''Odobenus rosmarus divergens''. The Pacific Walrus is slightly larger, the male weighing up to 4000 pounds. |
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The '''War of 1812''' between the [[United States]] and the [[United Kingdom]] is one of several wars associated with that year. It is more normally known in British texts as the '''British-American War''' to distinguish it from [[Napoleon]]'s war against [[Russia]] that also began in that year and from the continuing British war with Napoleon. (These wars may perhaps be linked by a common connection with furthering Napoleon's [[Continental policy]] of economic attrition against British war-making capacity.) |
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''Odobenus'' is compounded from "odous" [[Greek language|Greek]] for tooth and "baino" Greek for walk, based on observations of walruses using their tusks to drag themselves along. ''Rosmarus'' is based on the [[Swedish (language)|Swedish]] word for walrus. ''Divergens'' is based on [[Latin]] for turning apart, referring to the tusks. |
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This particular war began by the American declaration of war on [[June 18]] of that year, and lasted till the beginning of [[1815]]. The treaty of peace signed at [[Treaty of Ghent|Ghent]] on [[December 24]], [[1814]] was ratified by President [[James Madison]] on [[February 17]], 1815. |
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Walruses mate in the water and give birth on land or ice floes. They feed in the water, diving to depths of 300 feet, sometimes staying under for as long as a half hour. Male Walruses compete for territory, often fighting each other; the winners in these fights breed with large numbers of females. |
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==Causes== |
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The War of [[1812]] had two main causes: British naval actions on the [[Atlantic]], and an American desire to seize Britain's North American colonies. |
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Pacific Walruses spend the summer north of the [[Bering Strait]] in the Chulchi Sea along the north shore of eastern [[Siberia]], around [[Wrangel Island]], in the Beaufort Sea along the north shore of [[Alaska]], and in the waters between those locations. |
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During the long [[Napoleonic Wars]] the American merchant ships became home to a number of deserters from the [[Royal Navy]]. British warships frequently stopped American ships capturing any believed to be deserters, but also impressed a large number of Americans. The British had probably impressed between six to eight thousand Americans into their navy. The most offensive incident of impressment was when the British warship ''[[HMS Leopard|Leopard]]'' opened fire on the American ''[[USS Chesapeake|Chesapeake]]'', which had refused to stop. A number of seamen were killed and wounded aboard the ''Chesapeake''. |
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Smaller numbers of males summer in the Gulf of Anadyr on the south shore of the Chulchi Peninsula of Siberia and in Bristol Bay off the south shore of southern Alaska west of the Kenai Peninsula. |
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Britain also attempted to restrict American trade with [[France]]. They imposed tariffs and stopped any ships containing military supplies. France attempted to do the same, but its weaker navy made it less of a problem for the U.S. In [[1807]], [[Thomas Jefferson|President Thomas Jefferson]] signed a bill which banned all trade with the warring parties, hoping this would so damage them that they would be forced to negotiate. This failed to work, and the bill was repealed in [[1808]]. Britain continued its impressment and restrictions, however and [[James Madison|President Madison]] declared war in 1812. Ironically before war had been declared the British parliament had already decided to end [[impressment]] and remove the trade restrictions, but the message was still in transit when Madison declared war. |
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In the spring and fall they congegate in the Bering Strait, adjacent to the west shores of Alaska, and in the Gulf of Anadyr. They winter to the south in the Bering Sea along the eastern shore of Siberia south to the northern part of the [[kamchatka|Kamchatka Peninsula]], and along the southern shore of Alaska. |
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Other Americans had different reasons for wanting war. Many thought it was finally time for the US to annex [[Canada]] to complete its [[manifest destiny]]. Others believed native unrest in the west was funded and encouraged by the British. Another important cause of the war was that [[U.S. presidential election, 1812|1812 was a presidential election year]] in which Madison was vulnerable. |
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<div style="float:right; margin-left:15px; margin-right:10px; width:240px; text-align:center"> |
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==Course of the War== |
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[[image:walrus-thumbnail.jpg|Walrus]]<br> |
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<small>''Pacific Walrus''.<br> |
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[[media:Walrus.jpg|Larger version<br>]]<br> |
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</small></div> |
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Walruses spend about half the time in the water, half the time hauled out on a beach or ice flow where they gather in large herds. They may spend several days at a stretch either on land or in the sea. In the sea they sometimes catch fish but generally graze along the sea bottom for clams which they suck from their shells. |
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Although the outbreak of war had been preceded by years of angry diplomatic dispute, the [[United States]] was absolutely unready, while [[Great Britain]] was still hard pressed in the [[Napoleonic Wars]], and was compelled to retain the greater part of her forces and her best crews in European waters, till the ruin of the [[Grande Armee]] in [[Russia]] and the rising of [[Germany]] left her free to send an overwhelming force of ships to American waters. |
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There are about 200,000 Pacific Walruses; about 3000 are harvested annually by Alaskan natives. They have long tusks, which are elongated canines and which are used for fighting and display. [[Ivory]] from the tusks is used for carving. The only natural enemies of of the walrus are man and the [[Polar Bear]]. Polar Bears hunt walruses by rushing at them, trying to get the herd to flee, then picking off calves or other stragglers. |
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The forces actually available on the American side when the war began consisted of a small squadron of [[frigate]]s and [[sloop]]s in an efficient state. Twenty-two was the limit of the naval force the States were able to commission. The paper strength of the army was 35,000, but the service was voluntary and unpopular, while there was an almost total want of trained and experienced officers. The available strength was a bare third of the nominal. The [[militia]], called in to aid the regulars, proved untrustworthy. They objected to serve beyond the limits of their states, were not amenable to discipline, and behaved as a rule very ill in the presence of the enemy. On the British side, the naval force in American waters under Sir [[John Borlase Warren]], who took up the general command on [[September 26]], [[1812]], consisted of ninety-seven vessels in all, of which eleven were of the line and thirty-four were [[frigate|frigates]], a power much greater than the national navy of America, but inadequate to the blockade of the long coast from [[New Brunswick]] to [[Florida]]. The total number of British troops present in Canada in July [[1812]] was officially stated to be 5004, consisting in part of Canadians. |
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The breeding season for walrus is midwinter, a time spent in the southern Bering sea. The males show off in the water for the females who view them from pack ice. Males compete aggressively for this display space with each other. Mating is probably in the water. After fertilization the fertilized egg is dormant for several months, then a gestation period of 11 months follows. When a calf is born it is over 3 feet long and able to swim. Birth takes place on pack ice; the calf nurses for about 2 years, spending 3 to 5 years with its mother. Females are mature at about 6 years, males at 9 or 10. A walrus lives about 40 years. |
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The scene of operations naturally divided into three sections: |
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# The ocean; |
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# The Great Lakes and the Canadian frontier; |
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# The coast of the United States. |
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There are about 15,000 Atlantic Walrus which live in the [[canada|Canadian]] Arctic, the waters of [[Greenland]], and the waters of the western portion of the Russian Arctic. The Atlantic walrus once enjoyed a range that extended south to [[Cape Cod]] and were found in large numbers in the [[Gulf of St. Lawrence]]. |
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== Operations on the Ocean == |
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These cover all cruises of sea-going ships, even when they did not go far from the coast. They again subdivide into the actions of national vessels, and the raids of the privateers. The first gave to the United States the most brilliant successes of the war. When it began two small squadrons were getting ready for sea at New York; the [[frigate]] [[USS President|<i>President</i>]] (44) and [[sloop]] [[USS Hornet|<i>Hornet</i>]] (18), under Commodore [[John Rodgers]], who had also the general command; and the [[frigate|frigates]] [[USS United States|<i>United States</i>]] (44) and [[USS Congress|<i>Congress</i>]] (38), with the [[brig]] [[USS Argus|<i>Argus</i>]] (16) to which two guns were afterwards added, under Captain [[Stephen Decatur]]. Rodgers would have preferred to keep his command together, and to strike with it at the main course of British commerce, but he was overruled. He sailed on [[June 21]], and after chasing the British [[frigate]] [[HMS Belvidera|<i>Belvidera</i>]] (36), which escaped into Halifax by throwing boats, &c., overboard, stood across the North Atlantic in search of a [[West Indies|West Indian]] convoy, which he failed to sight, returning by [[August 31]] to [[Boston]]. While he was absent, Captain [[Isaac Hull]], commanding [[USS Constitution|<i>Constitution</i>]] (44), sailed from the Chesapeake, and after a narrow escape from a British squadron, which pursued him from the 18th to the 20th of July, reached Boston. Going to sea again on the 2nd of August he captured and burned the British [[frigate]] [[HMS Guerriere|<i>Guerriere</i>]], (38). On [[October 8]] Rodgers and Decatur sailed -- the first on a cruise to the east, the second to the south. Commodore Rodgers met with no marked success, but on [[October 25]] Captain Decatur in [[USS United States|<i>United States</i>]] captured the British [[frigate]] [[HMS Macedonian|<i>Macedonian</i>]] (38), which he carried back to port. At the close of the month Captain Bainbridge sailed with the [[USS Constitution|<i>Constitution</i>]], [[USS Essex|<i>Essex</i>]] (32), and [[USS Hornet|<i>Hornet</i>]] (18) on a southerly cruise. On [[December 20]], when off Bahia, he fell in with the British [[frigate]] [[HMS Java|<i>Java</i>]] (38), which was carrying General Hislop, the governor of [[Bombay]], to [[India]], and took her after a sharp action. The [[USS Essex|<i>Essex</i>]] and [[USS Hornet|<i>Hornet</i>]] were not in company. The first, under the command of Captain [[David Porter]], went on to the Pacific, where she did great injury to British trade, till she was captured off [[Valparaiso]] by the British [[frigate]] [[HMS Phoebe|<i>Phoebe</i>]] (38) and the [[sloop]] [[HMS Cherub|<i>Cherub</i>]] (24) on [[March 28]], [[1814]]. In these actions, except the last, the Americans had the advantage of greater size and a heavier broadside and they showed better seamanship and gunnery. The capture of three British [[frigate|frigates]] one after another caused a painful impression in Great Britain and stimulated her to greater exertions. Vessels were accumulated on the American sea-board, and the watch became more strict. On [[June 1]], [[1813]] the capture of the U.S. [[frigate]] [[USS Chesapeake|<i>Chesapeake</i>]] (38), by the British [[frigate]] [[HMS Shannon|<i>Shannon</i>]] (38), a vessel of equal force, counterbalanced the moral effect of previous disasters. The blockade of American ports was already so close that the United States ships found it continually more difficult to get to sea, or to keep the sea without meeting forces of irresistibly superior strength. |
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The Walrus is a member of order [[Carnivora]] and is the only species in the family [[Odobenidae]]. |
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The operations of American [[privateer]]s were too numerous and far-ranging to be told in detail. They continued active till the close of the war, and were only partially baffled by the strict enforcement of convoy by the British authorities. A signal instance of the audacity of the American cruisers was the capture of the U.S. [[sloop]] [[USS Constitution|<i>Argus</i>]] (20) by the British [[sloop]] [[HMS Pelican|<i>Pelican</i>]] (18) so far from home as St David's Head in Wales on [[August 14]], [[1813]]. [[HMS Pelican|<i>Pelican</i>'s]] guns were heavier than those of the [[USS Argus|<i>Argus</i>]]. |
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==External Links== |
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== Operations on the Great Lakes and Canadian Border == |
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* [http://www.absc.usgs.gov/research/walrus/home.html USGS - Pacific Walrus Research] |
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The American people, who had expected little from their diminutive navy, had calculated with confidence on being able to overrun Canada. As, however, they had taken no effectual measures to provide a mobile force they were disappointed. The British general, Sir [[George Prevost]], was neither able nor energetic, but his subordinate, Major-General [[Isaac Brock]], was both. In July, before the Americans were ready, Brock seized [[Mackinac]] at the head of [[Lake Huron]]; and on [[August 16]] [[Detroit]] in the channel between [[Lake Huron|Huron]] and [[Lake Erie|Erie]] was surrendered. Kingston was held at the east end of [[Ontario]]. [[Montreal]] on the [[Saint Lawrence River|St Lawrence]] was a strong position on the British side to which, however, the Americans had an easy road of approach by [[Lake Champlain]]. Sound reasoning would have led the Americans to direct their chief attacks on Kingston and Montreal, since success at those points would have isolated the British posts on Lakes [[Lake Ontario|Ontario]], [[Lake Erie|Erie]], and [[Lake Huron|Huron]]. But they were much influenced by fear of the Indians, who had been won over to the British side by the energy of Brock and anger over years of mistreatment by the Americans. They therefore looked more carefully to the lakes than to the course of the St Lawrence, and it may be added that their leaders showed an utter want of capacity for the intelligent conduct of war. |
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The impracticable character of the communications by land made it absolutely necessary for both parties to obtain control of the water. Neither had made any preparations, and the war largely resolved itself into a race of shipbuilding. The Americans, who had far greater facilities for building than the British, allowed themselves to be forestalled. In the second half of [[1812]] the British general, Sir [[Isaac Brock]], lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada, adopted measures for opposing the Americans on the frontier line, between [[Lake Huron|Huron]] and [[Lake Erie|Erie]]. The American brigadier-general [[William Hull]] invaded Canada on [[July 12]] from [[Detroit]], just below the small Lake of St Clair between [[Lake Huron|Huron]] and [[Lake Erie|Erie]]. His army was mainly composed of militiamen, who behaved very badly, and his papers having been captured in a boat, his plans were revealed. General Brock drove him back and forced him to surrender at Detroit on [[August 16]]. Brock now promptly transferred himself to the western end of [[Lake Erie|Erie]], where the American general [[Henry Dearborn]] was attempting another invasion. Brock fell in action on [[October 13]] at [[Battle of Queenston Heights|Queenston]], while repulsing Dearborn's subordinate [[Stephen van Rensselaer]], a politician named to command by favour, and ignorant of a soldier's business. The Americans were driven back. In this field also their militia behaved detestably. The Canadians on the other hand, both the French who were traditionally amenable to authority and those of English descent, who being largely sons of loyalists of the War of Independence had a bitter hatred of the Americans, did excellent service. The discontent of New England with the war both hampered the American generals and also aided the British, who drew their supplies to a great extent from United States territory. On [[January 22]], [[1813]], at Frenchtown, the American troops under Winchester surrendered to a British and Indian force under Procter. |
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During the winter both sides were busy in building ships. On [[Lake Ontario|Ontario]] the Americans pushed on their preparations at Sackett's Harbour under [[Isaac Chauncey]]; the English were similarly engaged at Kingston. Sir [[James Lucas Yeo]] took command on the 15th of May 1813. On [[Lake Erie|Erie]] the American headquarters were at Presqu' Isle, now the city of Erie; the English at Fort Malden. The American commander was Captain [[Oliver Perry]], the British commander, Captain [[Robert Barclay]]. On [[Lake Ontario]] Yeo formed a more mobile though less powerful force than Chauncey's, and therefore manoeuvred to avoid being brought to close action. Three engagements, on the 10th of August, 11th of September [[September 28]], led to no decisive result. By the close of the war Yeo had constructed a ship of 102 guns which gave him the superiority, and the British became masters of [[Lake Ontario]]. On [[Lake Erie]] the energy of Captain Perry, aided by what appears to have been the misjudgment of Barclay, enabled him to get a superior force by the 4th of August, and on the 10th of September he fought a successful action which left the Americans masters of [[Battle of Lake Erie|Lake Erie]]. The military operations were subordinate to the naval. On [[April 27]], 1813 the Americans took [[Battle of York|York]] (now [[Toronto]]), and in May moved on Fort George; but a counter-attack by Yeo and Prevost on Sackett's Harbour, on [[May 29]], having made the Americans anxious about the safety of their base, naval support failed the American generals, and they were paralysed. A success was gained by them ([[October 5]]) at the [[Battle of the Thames|Thames]], where the Indian chief [[Tecumseh]] fell, but they made no serious progress. The Americans turned to the east of [[Lake Ontario|Ontario]], intending to assail [[Montreal]] by the St Lawrence in combination with their forces at the [[Battle of Lake Champlain]]. But the combination failed; they were severely harassed on the St Lawrence, and the invasion was given up. |
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The operations of [[1814]] bear a close resemblance to those of [[1813]], with, however, one important difference. The American generals, having by this time brought their troops to order, were able to fight with much better effect. Their attack on the Niagara peninsula led to hot fighting at Chippewa ([[July 5]]) and Lundy's Lane ([[July 25]]), the first a success for the Americans, the second a drawn battle. The fall of Napoleon having now freed the British government from the obligation to retain its army in Europe, troops from Spain began to pour in. But on the Canadian frontier they made little difference. In August [[1814]] Sir [[George Prevost]] attacked the American forces at Champlain. But his naval support, ill prepared, was hurried into action by him at Plattsburg on the 11th of September, and defeated. Prevost then retired. His management of the war, more especially on Lake Champlain, was severely criticized, and he was threatened with a [[court-martial]], but died before the trial came on. A British occupation of part of the coast of [[Maine]] proved to be mere demonstration. |
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== Operations on the American Coast == |
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When the war began the British naval forces were unequal to the work of blockading the whole coast. They were also much engaged in seeking for the American cruisers under Rodgers, Decatur and Bainbridge. The British government, having need of American foodstuffs for its army in Spain, was willing to benefit by the discontent of the New Englanders. No blockade of [[New England]] was at first attempted. The Delaware and Chesapeake were declared in a state of blockade on [[December 26]], [[1812]]. This was extended to the whole coast south of [[Narragansett]] by November [[1813]], and to the whole American coast on [[May 31]], [[1814]]. In the meantime much illicit trade was carried on by collusive captures arranged between American traders and British officers. American ships were fraudulently transferred to neutral flags. Eventually the United States government was driven to issue orders for the purpose of stopping illicit trading, and the commerce of the country was ruined. The now overpowering strength of the British fleet enabled it to occupy the Chesapeake and to execute innumerable attacks of a destructive character on docks and harbours. The burning by the American general McClure, on [[December 10]], [[1813]], of Newark (Niagara on the Lake), for which severe retaliation was taken at Buffalo, was made the excuse for much destruction. The most famous of these destructive raids was the burning of public buildings including the [[White House]] in Washington by Sir [[George Cockburn]], who succeeded Warren in April in the naval command, and General [[Robert Ross]]. Ross' account reads: ''Judging it of consequences to complete the destruction of the public buildings with the least possible delay, so that the army might retire without loss of time, the following buildings were set fire to and consumed- the capitol, including the Senate house and House of representation, the Arsenal, the Dock-Yard, Treasury, War office, President's Palace, Rope-Walk, and the great bridge across the Potewmac''. President James Madison was forced to flee to Virginia and American morale was reduced to an all-time low. The expedition was carried out between [[August 19]] and [[August 29]], [[1814]], and was well organized and vigorously executed. On the 24th the American militia, collected at Bladensburg to protect the capital, fled almost before they were attacked. A subsequent attack on [[Baltimore]], in which General Ross was killed ([[September 12]], [[1814]]), was a failure. The valiant defense of [[Fort McHenry]] by American forces during the British attack inspired [[Francis Scott Key]], to write "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]." |
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==Effects of War of 1812 on postwar North America== |
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In both Canada and the United States the War of 1812 caused a great deal of nationalism in both lands. In the Canadian colonies the war united the French and the English colonies against a common enemy. At the beginning of the War of 1812 it is estimated that perhaps one third of the inhabitants of Upper Canada for example were American born, some were [[United Empire Loyalists]] but others had come just for the cheap farmland and many had little loyalty to the British Crown at the beginning of the war. The war, thus, gave many inhabitants of Upper and Lower Canada a sense of nationhood as well as a sense of loyalty to Great Britain. Unfortunately, this sentiment also included a great deal of suspicion in American ideas like [[responsible government]] which would frustrate political reform in Upper and Lower Canada until the [[Rebellions of 1837]] |
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No territorial gains were acquired by either sides and impressment and Indian issues were put on delay. The United States however did gain a large amount of worldwide respect for managing to withhold Britain. A growth in manufacturing was caused since the British amassed a formidable blockade on the East coast. The death of the [[United States Federalist Party|Federalist Party]] also preceded. The Great Lakes were no longer disputed but shared property of Canada and Britain. Indian threat was at a minimal since Tecumseh had fallen and the Prophet has become ridiculed and resorted to become a drunkard. |
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There were several significant economic developments after the War of 1812, including: |
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* [[Lowell system]] -- Initially used in the production of [[textile]]s, the Lowell system placed each stage of manufacture under one roof, replacing the [[domestic system]]. This created the ''factory''. |
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* [[Eli Whitney]]'s invention of [[American System|interchangeable parts]], allowing rapid production of goods, as well as his invention of the [[cotton gin]]. The cotton gin created a large demand for slaves. |
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* [[Henry Clay]]'s [[American System (economics)|American System]] |
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* The [[Second Great Awakening]], 1830-50 |
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===Motives of the U.S.=== |
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It is important to notice that the motives of the U.S. in this war were to gain Canada and stop the impressment. Why gain Canada? It was considered by many to be a barren desert. Well, the [[War hawks]], being Southerners wanted more seats in Congress. If new states were created, they wanted the Southerners to populate them. Sectionalism was beginning to deepen. |
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===Britain's motives=== |
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Britain's intention in the War of 1812 was not to regain its former colonies, as the cost of doing so would have made it unprofitable (as opposed to which, if the cost of a war was bound to be incurred anyway, it might have made sense to make some gains in passing). The bold (or possibly rash) Americans had decisively defeated Britain once with help and hoped to do so again even without help. Britain however was a world power, with more out of area capability than before and fewer other enemies with such capability. It wanted to pass on a message to the world at large, "Britain was not a country to mess around with", and it had specific strategic interests in North America, e.g. as a source of naval supplies. Such a message was sent in passing when Britain burned down the White House. However it must be noted that Britain did not first declare war, but the United States, so it it is realistic to suppose that Britain wished to protect its colonies and broader interests in North America. |
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Famous Canadian historian [[Pierre Berton]] stated his belief that if the War of 1812 had never happened Canada would be part of the United States today, as more as more and more American settlers would have arrived, and Canadian nationalism would never have developed. |
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According to data from the [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs]], the last surviving U.S. veteran of the conflict, Hiram Cronk, died on [[May 13]], [[1905]] at the age of 105. |
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==Reference== |
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*''This entry incorporates public domain text originally from the [[1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica]].'' |
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''see also:'' [[Battle of New Orleans]] |
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Revision as of 08:36, 18 August 2003
| Walrus | ||||||||||||||
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Odobenus rosmarus |
Walruses are large semi-aquatic mammals that live in the cold Arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The two subspecies are the Atlantic, Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus, and the Pacific, Odobenus rosmarus divergens. The Pacific Walrus is slightly larger, the male weighing up to 4000 pounds.
Odobenus is compounded from "odous" Greek for tooth and "baino" Greek for walk, based on observations of walruses using their tusks to drag themselves along. Rosmarus is based on the Swedish word for walrus. Divergens is based on Latin for turning apart, referring to the tusks.
Walruses mate in the water and give birth on land or ice floes. They feed in the water, diving to depths of 300 feet, sometimes staying under for as long as a half hour. Male Walruses compete for territory, often fighting each other; the winners in these fights breed with large numbers of females.
Pacific Walruses spend the summer north of the Bering Strait in the Chulchi Sea along the north shore of eastern Siberia, around Wrangel Island, in the Beaufort Sea along the north shore of Alaska, and in the waters between those locations.
Smaller numbers of males summer in the Gulf of Anadyr on the south shore of the Chulchi Peninsula of Siberia and in Bristol Bay off the south shore of southern Alaska west of the Kenai Peninsula.
In the spring and fall they congegate in the Bering Strait, adjacent to the west shores of Alaska, and in the Gulf of Anadyr. They winter to the south in the Bering Sea along the eastern shore of Siberia south to the northern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula, and along the southern shore of Alaska.
Walrus
Pacific Walrus.
Larger version
Walruses spend about half the time in the water, half the time hauled out on a beach or ice flow where they gather in large herds. They may spend several days at a stretch either on land or in the sea. In the sea they sometimes catch fish but generally graze along the sea bottom for clams which they suck from their shells.
There are about 200,000 Pacific Walruses; about 3000 are harvested annually by Alaskan natives. They have long tusks, which are elongated canines and which are used for fighting and display. Ivory from the tusks is used for carving. The only natural enemies of of the walrus are man and the Polar Bear. Polar Bears hunt walruses by rushing at them, trying to get the herd to flee, then picking off calves or other stragglers.
The breeding season for walrus is midwinter, a time spent in the southern Bering sea. The males show off in the water for the females who view them from pack ice. Males compete aggressively for this display space with each other. Mating is probably in the water. After fertilization the fertilized egg is dormant for several months, then a gestation period of 11 months follows. When a calf is born it is over 3 feet long and able to swim. Birth takes place on pack ice; the calf nurses for about 2 years, spending 3 to 5 years with its mother. Females are mature at about 6 years, males at 9 or 10. A walrus lives about 40 years.
There are about 15,000 Atlantic Walrus which live in the Canadian Arctic, the waters of Greenland, and the waters of the western portion of the Russian Arctic. The Atlantic walrus once enjoyed a range that extended south to Cape Cod and were found in large numbers in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The Walrus is a member of order Carnivora and is the only species in the family Odobenidae.