If this does not scare the smaller walrus, the larger one may strike with their tusks, and frequently there is bloodshed. Apparently, walruses prefer to lie in the middle of these large congregations. Courtship behavior usually consists of several mature bulls competing for the exclusive mating rights to a herd of cows. Groups of males gather in large herds and use a variety of tactics to attract females. These tactics include extensive singing and vocal displays, as well as male-male combat.
Males make a variety of clicking and bell-like sounds underwater.
They also raise their heads above water and emit a series of sharp clucks and whistles. Occasionally, males engage in physical combat, trying to injure each other by stabbing their tusks into the neck region of the other. These fights generally do not last long and usually end with one bull leaving the area. Males successful in attracting females usually hold onto their position for 1-5 days, after which they are generally displaced by other males. Mating and birth are both presumed to occur underwater.