# Walrus (*Odobenus rosmarus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/walrus  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is a marine mammal of the family Odobenidae in the order Carnivora. It falls in the giant size class by adult body mass, with a representative weight of 825 kg and values up to 846.5 kg reported. Its diet category is invertivore, its trophic level is carnivore and its activity pattern is cathemeral. The walrus is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, a threatened category, and has a lifespan of 40 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 825 kg – 846.5 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 40 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marine |
| Gestation | 354 days – 457 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1.18 |
| Age at maturity | 5.49 years – 8.97 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.5 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Marine |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Odobenidae
- genus: Odobenus
- species: *Odobenus rosmarus* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Odebenus rosmarus*, *Odobenus arcticus*, *Phoca rosmarus*, *Rosmarus arcticus*

## Common questions

### How heavy is a walrus?

The walrus has a representative adult body mass of 825 kg, with values up to 846.5 kg reported. It falls in the giant size class (adult body mass over 250 kg).

### What does a walrus eat?

The walrus is an invertivore, and its trophic level is carnivore.

### Is the walrus endangered?

The walrus is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.

### How long does a walrus live?

The walrus has a lifespan of 40 years.

### What kind of animal is a walrus?

The walrus is a marine mammal of the family Odobenidae, in the suborder Caniformia of the order Carnivora.

### Who named the walrus?

The walrus, Odobenus rosmarus, was named by (Linnaeus, 1758).

### How many young does a walrus have?

The walrus has 1.18 young per litter and 0.5 litters per year.

### How long is a walrus pregnant?

The walrus has a gestation period of 353.7 days, with values up to 456.6 days (1.3 years) reported.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/walrus