High on my Arctic pinniped (fin-footed) wishlist is Odobenus rosmarus: the walrus.

Few animals scream “Arctic” in the same way as the Toco toucan screams “tropics” or “rainforest” or “Guinness”, as the walrus. These animals are the “sexy megafauna” that become the poster animal for the ecosystem. (Okay the toucan isn’t “mega” but its bill sure is). For the Arctic, I would certainly put polar bear at the top of this list, followed closely by the walrus.

This Arctic animal is also keynote species that are the “carnies in the coal mine” for their ecosystems. When the walrus population declines, we know that the Arctic is not healthy.

The walrus’s most prominent feature are its tusks. They are sported by both male and females and are really enlarged canines. Tusks on males can grow to three feet. They use these ivories for male scuffling and pulling their hefty bulk up onto ice.

The walrus is also one of the largest pinnipeds in the world, only exceeded by the Northern and Southern elephant seal. It can be said that it is the second largest pinniped in the Northern Hemisphere. Walrus are sexually dimorphic with males weighing almost two tons and growing to 12 feet in length.