Troop of Walruses 10,000 Strong Hauls Ashore in Alaska

[n2doc]

A herd of walrus approximately 10,000 strong has come ashore on Alaska's northwest coast.


The burly, tusked mammals have gathered on a remote barrier island in the Chukchi Sea near Point Lay, about 700 miles north of Anchorage.

On Sept. 12, aerial observations indicated between 1,200 and 4,000 walruses had hauled out on the island. The number swelled to as many as 8,000 on Sept. 22 and has since grown to roughly 10,000, though a more accurate count is impossible to make from aerial photos.

Towards late summer and into fall, walruses tend to herd in large aggregations such as this, but officials from NOAA fisheries report that the mass aggregations in this region of Alaska are a relatively new phenomenon.

In 2011, about 30,000 walruses were observed not far from where this recent aggregation has been spotted.

more

http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/4267/20131001/troop-walruses-10-000-strong-hauls-ashore-alaska.htm

[Blues Heron]

1. "I am the Walrus!" "No. I am the Walrus!"

"I beg your pardon sir, but I am the Walrus" .... .... ....

[FiveGoodMen]

4. The Walrus was Paul

[Scuba]

2. 10,000 radioactive walruses. Cool.

[Mnemosyne]

3. Sadly true. nt

[wandy]

5. How long before Ted Cruz blames Obamacare for the 10,000 Walruses? nt

[FailureToCommunicate]

6. The reason is obvious: sea temperature rise...

[rwsanders]

7. That's what I've read, as they lose sea ice over shallow areas where they feed, they have to use...

shoreline. The problem is that any disturbance turns into a stampede that can kill the young.

The movie Arctic Tale has a great portrayal of walruses. Amazing how the females will encircle their young while nursing, the photography was amazing and the mothers are amazingly careful and doting.

[Javaman]

8. Walrus Woodstock. nt

[dhill926]

9. gonna be some happily satiated sharks....

pretty soon....

[NickB79]

10. Not so much that far north

But killer whales, oh yeah.