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?
