In a zoological environment, calves nurse about six to ten times per day. There is no information available on the frequency of nursing or the volume of milk consumed by a calf in the wild. Cows with calves more than two days old tend to gather in herds separate from the bulls and other females. A cow is extremely protective of her calf. She defends and protects her calf and may shelter it under her chest between her foreflippers.
Calves often ride on their mothers' backs in the water.
There is some evidence that females may care for orphans, although it is unknown whether the female nurses the orphan. G. Calf growth and development. Growth rates gathered in zoological environments are considered to be indicative of the growth rates of free-living walruses. Males grow slightly faster than females. By one month of age, calves are strong swimmers.