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Post by tom on Mar 8, 2018 13:14:01 GMT -5
I've seen videos of successful Bull Walrus kills from a large male Polar Bear, but I wonder if that is rare? In the Video below we witness a male Polar bears repeated attempts to kill a walrus. All of the Walrus's that he picks are females which are much smaller. Yet every attempt is met with failure. Even the smaller female Walrus proves too much for the Bear and in the end he pays the ultimate price from the stabbing wounds of the walrus tusks. This is another case where hunger must override the risk of serious injury or even death. Risks vs Reward if you will. The Walrus is a powerful mammal especially dangerous when they are near water and can lure the Bears into the shallows and eventually deeper water.
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Post by tom on Mar 8, 2018 15:53:49 GMT -5
In my opinion, the Polar bear especially a large male may improve his odds provided the walrus can be separated from the herd and is fully on land. Sometimes a sleeping Walrus can be snuck upon by the Bear and get the upper hand right off the bat. The closer to the water and the closer in proximity to the rest of the herd the odds turn more in favor of the Walrus. Once in the Water the odds are now fully in favor the Walrus. Those 3-4 ft long tusks are lethal and can inflict serious injury to the point the bear can no longer hunt. If they strike a vital organ it's lights out for the Bear. The best odds for the bear is a young calf or sub adult Walrus if they can separate them from the rest of the clan.
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Post by Polar on Mar 8, 2018 19:21:20 GMT -5
Yes, the walrus isn't no slow, fat animal. It has about 45% muscle (which goes against common observation) and only really 15-20% fatty blubber, most of the rest is very thick skin, water weight, and dense bones. Much underrated and extremely tough and fast for their size, even on inward land.
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Post by tom on Mar 9, 2018 13:18:36 GMT -5
Yes, the walrus isn't no slow, fat animal. It has about 45% muscle (which goes against common observation) and only really 15-20% fatty blubber, most of the rest is very thick skin, water weight, and dense bones. Much underrated and extremely tough and fast for their size, even on inward land. So thick is the skin as I understand it that tusks won't penetrate and any wounds during fighting between males is normally superficial in nature. The Bears have a tough time penetrating the skin of their back with teeth or claws. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2018 22:06:06 GMT -5
I feel like I may have severely underrated the walrus in the past. I saw them as virtually helpless when on land when under attack by a polar bear.
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Post by tom on Mar 30, 2018 8:21:07 GMT -5
I don't know that I would call it naive but rather hunger driven. When you need to eat you need to eat and risks must be taken or you simply starve to death. The risks the Bears take with a Bull Walrus are great. Even if not mortely wounded a serious injury will just hinder their ability to hunt even further thus death by starvation comes even quicker.
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Post by brobear on Mar 31, 2018 6:35:31 GMT -5
Ranji, you are not signed up. You do not wish to be part of the team?
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Post by King Kodiak on Sept 7, 2018 6:31:20 GMT -5
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Post by brobear on Sept 8, 2018 8:34:43 GMT -5
Unless more has been witnessed and caught on camera in the last several years, the only bull walrus ever filmed was by a Russian biologist. Similar to grizzly and bison, polar bears very rarely attempt to take down a bull walrus. Not because the bear cannot do it, but because the risk outweighs the prize ( even a 3,000 pound prize ).
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Post by tom on Sept 8, 2018 11:25:57 GMT -5
The walrus in that vid is far from 4000 pounds if you look closely. Probably a sub adult. Still plenty big though and a challenge to pull onto the ice. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2018 2:36:28 GMT -5
Yes, the walrus isn't no slow, fat animal. It has about 45% muscle (which goes against common observation) and only really 15-20% fatty blubber, most of the rest is very thick skin, water weight, and dense bones. Much underrated and extremely tough and fast for their size, even on inward land. So thick is the skin as I understand it that tusks won't penetrate and any wounds during fighting between males is normally superficial in nature. The Bears have a tough time penetrating the skin of their back with teeth or claws. Actually a polar bear can pierce the skin of the walrus, however, its thick layer of skin and blubber makes it hard for a vital organ or artery to be pierced. There was a video of a polar bear killing a sick walrus which had seperated itself from the herd. Polar bears also come into contact with old carnivorous bull walrus at whale carcases and at breathing holes. and Polar bear predation on walrus accounts: From walruses we pass to bears. Mr.Lamont believes that the Polar Bear - the Ursus Maritimus of naturalists - is, in a state of nature, the largest and strongest carnivorous animal in the world. Be this as it may, his first specimen - the one which he was watching through the old opera-glass of which we have spoken - was a monster. His carcass measured eight feet in length, and almost as much in circumference. He stood four and a half feet high at the shoulder. The fore-paws were 34 inches around. His weight was at least 1200 pounds: of this the fat constituted 400 pounds, and the hide 100. When skinned, his neck and shoulders were like those of a bull. The hunters say that he will kill the biggest bull-walrus, although nearly three times his own weight, by springing upon him from behind, and battering in his skull by repeated blows. Mr. Lamont believes this, though he doubts the stories told of the way in which he is killed by hunters. One man, who professes to know all about it, says that the hunters use a spear having a cross-piece a couple of feet from the point. Hunter presents point to Ursus; Ursus seizes spear by cross-piece, and in trying to drag it away buries the blade in his own body, and so kills himself. And this: Stout as he is, Ursa maritimus has to use cunning to get a living. He relies mainly upon walruses and seals. Though quite competent to manage the biggest walrus singly, he is overmatched by a herd; and unluckily for him walruses are apt to go in herds. He can not pick up a "junger" without bringing down upon him a score of tusked cousins and uncles. Then the seals are so shrewd. In the water they do not fear him. They can outswim and outdive him. There they will play around him in a manner calculated to aggravate his feelings to the utmost. Mr. Lamont thinks he catches one in the water now and then, but he can not con- ceive how he does it. Upon the ice Ursa has the advantage. But the seals know this, and sleep with both ears and one eye open. But Ursa's eyes and nose are of the sharpest. When either of these tell him that seals are floating about on the ice he slips into the water, half a mile or so to the leeward, and paddles quietly along, with his nose only visible, until he is close under the cake of ice on the very edge of which the seal is reposing. Then one jump, and a blow of his huge paw, settles the business. Between strength and cunning Ursa manages to make a quite comfortable living, and keep himself in very good order. Three which Mr. Lamont killed yielded 600 pounds of fat. "What a thousand pities," he exclaims, "that it is not worth 3s. 6d. a pot, as in the Burlington Arcade!" www.explorenorth.com/library/weekly/aa032201c.htm |
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Post by King Kodiak on Dec 16, 2018 13:35:07 GMT -5
Those are some awesome accounts bro. “Hunters say that they can kill the biggest bull-walruses” pretty awesome. I also believe the same thing, although it should barely happen.
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Post by brobear on Dec 16, 2018 17:52:15 GMT -5
I remember from the old AVA blog site that ( at that time - about six or eight years ago ) there had been only one event caught on camera ( by a Russian naturalist ) of a polar bear killing a full-grown bull walrus.
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Post by King Kodiak on Dec 17, 2018 7:50:16 GMT -5
I remember from the old AVA blog site that ( at that time - about six or eight years ago ) there had been only one event caught on camera ( by a Russian naturalist ) of a polar bear killing a full-grown bull walrus. Is this the video you are talking about? |
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Post by brobear on Dec 17, 2018 14:15:13 GMT -5
Yes; you nailed it Kodiak.
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Post by King Kodiak on Dec 17, 2018 17:22:55 GMT -5
And what a video it is, killed a much larger bull walrus using just brute strength and his strong neck muscles to move it.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2018 0:14:28 GMT -5
Those are some awesome accounts bro. “Hunters say that they can kill the biggest bull-walruses” pretty awesome. I also believe the same thing, although it should barely happen. Thanks. I believe the polar bear can kill a bull walrus, however, with uncles and cousins nearby coupled with the walruses thick skin and blubber which makes piercing an artery or vital organ hard, the walrus family will stab the polar bear to death before the polar bear can kill the single walrus, hence the polar bear prefers to kill a walrus calf as he can drag it away from the herd and eat in relative safety. One on one on land, the polar bear can eventually kill a bull walrus on land (without intervention from the other adults).
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Post by brobear on Dec 18, 2018 5:05:25 GMT -5
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Post by King Kodiak on Dec 18, 2018 5:16:21 GMT -5
Do you agree with that outcome? They had the fight go to the water. |
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Post by King Kodiak on Dec 18, 2018 5:18:00 GMT -5
Those are some awesome accounts bro. “Hunters say that they can kill the biggest bull-walruses” pretty awesome. I also believe the same thing, although it should barely happen. Thanks. I believe the polar bear can kill a bull walrus, however, with uncles and cousins nearby coupled with the walruses thick skin and blubber which makes piercing an artery or vital organ hard, the walrus family will stab the polar bear to death before the polar bear can kill the single walrus, hence the polar bear prefers to kill a walrus calf as he can drag it away from the herd and eat in relative safety. One on one on land, the polar bear can eventually kill a bull walrus on land (without intervention from the other adults).
This sounds just about right. This is mostly what happens. |
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