Walrus Tusks: Impressive Canines with Multiple Uses

Few sights in the animal kingdom are as immediately striking as a mature walrus sporting its magnificent pair of tusks. These gleaming ivory daggers, jutting downwards from the upper jaw, are far more than just impressive facial adornments. They are essential tools, crucial for survival in the harsh, icy environments these marine mammals call home. Understanding the walrus tusk is to understand a key aspect of walrus life, from their daily routines to their social structures.

What Exactly Are These Impressive Appendages?

At their core, walrus tusks are incredibly elongated canine teeth. Unlike the tusks of elephants, which are incisors, these are canines that have undergone an extraordinary developmental journey. Both male and female walruses possess tusks, although those of the males, or bulls, tend to be significantly larger, thicker, and often straighter than those of the females, or cows. A large bull’s tusks can reach lengths of up to a meter (around 3 feet) and weigh several kilograms each. Imagine carrying that kind of weight on your face every day! The tusks are not solid bone in the way one might initially think. They are primarily composed of a material called dentine, which is a hard, dense, bony tissue forming the bulk of the tooth, with an outer layer of cementum. When walruses are very young, their tusks may have a thin coating of enamel, but this wears away relatively quickly. What’s particularly fascinating is that these tusks grow continuously throughout the walrus’s life, with new material being added at the base, within the socket of the jaw. This continuous growth helps to compensate for the wear and tear they inevitably experience. You can sometimes even get a rough idea of a walrus’s age or periods of good and poor health by examining the growth rings or patterns on its tusks, similar in concept to tree rings, though much less precise.

The Swiss Army Knife of the Arctic: Tusk Functions

The uses of walrus tusks are numerous and varied, reflecting the challenges of their Arctic and sub-Arctic existence. They are integral to almost every facet of a walrus’s daily life, acting as multi-purpose tools vital for navigating their world and interacting with it.

Hauling Out and Ice Navigation

One of the most visually dramatic uses of tusks is for hauling their massive bodies out of the frigid water onto ice floes or rocky shores. A walrus can weigh well over a ton, and lifting that bulk requires considerable effort. The tusks function like ice picks or grappling hooks. The walrus will drive its tusks into the ice, gain purchase, and then heave its body upwards. This process, repeated as necessary, allows these enormous animals to exit the water to rest, molt, or give birth. Without their tusks, this essential movement would be incredibly difficult, if not impossible, especially on slippery or steep surfaces. Beyond simply getting onto the ice, tusks are also employed to maintain breathing holes. In areas where the sea ice is thick, walruses use their heads and tusks to bash and chip away at the ice from below, creating or enlarging openings so they can surface to breathe while foraging for extended periods beneath the ice sheet. This is a testament to the strength of both the tusks and the animal itself.

Social Standing and Defense

In the social world of walruses, tusks play a significant role, particularly for males. Large, intact tusks are a symbol of dominance and status. Bulls will often display their tusks to rivals, and these displays can be enough to deter a challenger. However, when displays aren’t sufficient, tusks become formidable weapons in fights over territory or access to females. These confrontations can be quite serious, with males jabbing and slashing at each other, sometimes resulting in puncture wounds. The thicker skin around the neck and shoulders of male walruses offers some protection, but injuries can still occur. The size and condition of a bull’s tusks can therefore directly impact his reproductive success. While walruses are large and formidable, they do have predators, most notably polar bears and orcas (killer whales). Tusks serve as a crucial means of defense. A cornered walrus can use its tusks to inflict serious injury on an attacker, and a group of walruses presenting a united front of sharp ivory can be a deterrent even to a hungry polar bear. Though not always successful, especially against a determined predator or a pod of orcas, the tusks provide a fighting chance.

Walrus tusks are not just inert tools; they are living parts of the animal, containing nerves and blood vessels within the central pulp cavity. This means that damage to a tusk can be painful and potentially lead to infection. While the exterior dentine is very hard, tusks can and do break, especially during fights or accidents on the ice.

Anchors and Assistance

Even when resting, tusks can be useful. Walruses have been observed hooking their tusks over the edge of an ice floe to help anchor themselves while sleeping in the water, preventing them from drifting away. This allows them to rest securely near their preferred haul-out sites without having to fully emerge from the water. There has been some debate about the extent to which walruses use their tusks directly in foraging for food on the seabed. The primary method of locating food, such as clams and other benthic invertebrates, involves using their highly sensitive vibrissae (whiskers) to detect prey in the murky depths, and then using jets of water to dislodge them. However, it’s possible that tusks are occasionally used to scrape or dig in the sediment, or perhaps to help clear obstacles. The exact role, if any, in direct food acquisition is still a topic of study, but their other functions are undeniably critical.

More Than Just Bone: The Living Tusk

It’s important to remember that these are not just dead protrusions. As mentioned, the core of the tusk, the pulp cavity, contains nerves and blood vessels, meaning they are sensitive. This sensitivity likely helps the walrus gauge pressure and positioning when using its tusks for tasks like hauling out. Significant wear and tear are common. Tusks often show signs of abrasion, chipping, or may even be broken. A broken tusk can be a disadvantage, impacting a male’s social standing or making certain tasks more difficult. The patterns of wear can sometimes even tell a story about an individual walrus’s habits or history.

A Legacy in Ivory and a Future in Question

Historically, walrus tusks, being made of dense ivory, have been sought after by humans. For centuries, Arctic indigenous peoples have skillfully carved walrus ivory into tools, art, and cultural objects, a practice deeply embedded in their traditions and sustainable when conducted at traditional levels. However, commercial hunting in past centuries, driven by the demand for ivory, blubber, and hides, led to significant declines in some walrus populations. Today, while commercial hunting is largely restricted, walruses face new and pressing challenges, primarily related to climate change. These animals are heavily reliant on sea ice as platforms for resting, breeding, and accessing feeding grounds. As Arctic sea ice diminishes, walruses are forced to haul out on land in increasingly large, dense aggregations, which can lead to stampedes and stress. The loss of their traditional icy habitat directly impacts their ability to thrive, making the effective use of their tusks for navigating what ice remains even more critical. The magnificent tusks of the walrus are a defining feature of this Arctic icon. They are a product of evolution, perfectly adapted to the demands of a life lived at the edge of the habitable world. From enabling basic movement to dictating social hierarchies, these impressive canines are inextricably linked to the walrus’s identity and its ability to survive. Their future, like that of the walrus itself, is tied to the health of the Arctic ecosystem they inhabit.