The other day, I posted this photo of a Eastern mud snail,
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| Nice schnozzle! |
... and asked what animal it reminded you of. I suggested a camel/zebra cross, but Upupaepops came up with a walrus. So I had to look up walrus pics on Google. And yes, the snail does look like a walrus. Or a walrus looks like the snail; take your pick.
And I came across this video, which I mentioned in the comments, but it's too good to bury there.
A baby walrus, about 4 weeks old, was found abandoned near Barrow, Alaska.
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| 'Way up there, at the tip, where the marker is. Google maps. |
At 4 weeks old, he weighed 200 lbs! He was rescued by the Alaska Sea Life Center, and ... just watch the video. (2:18, but if you're impatient, forward to about 1:30 for the cuddliest baby ever!)
More information:
From ZooBorns, with more photos.
And a follow-up report, from Alaska Sea Life.
He is now in the Indianapolis Zoo.
He looked so awkward, trying to walk on two front flippers and dragging his rear, that I had to see how he operated underwater. And I found another baby video (3:51):
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| Video from Arkive. Left-click to open in a new tab. Otherwise, it closes this page. |
Very graceful, but those two rear feet (watch for them at 1:43) come as a surprise. The baby nurses, and paddles his mother's belly, like a kitten does. (2:35) Keep on watching to see the parents hugging their child (3:12), just as humans cuddle a baby.
It all makes me wonder; what do walruses think and feel? How like us are they?
Good heavens! The way the adult cuddled the little 'un was amazing. How wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWalrus have many of the appealing characteristics of Sea Otters, just in a big goofy package.
ReplyDeletethere is a great You Tube video out of the Pt Defiance Zoo of their old rescue walrus going through his vocalization repertoire
I wonder if you can rent a baby walrus to cure depression. Permanently.
ReplyDeleteUpup ... "old rescue walrus". That sounds intriguing. I'll have to go searching for that video.
ReplyDeleteMurr, I don't know, but it would sure work!
Snail, I could see what they meant about walruses being tactile animals. Wonderful is the right word!