They taught him to wave. The walrus soon waved good-bye, then swam gracefully about its big tank, no small feat for an animal carrying at least a ton of blubber. Among pinnipeds, animals with finlike feet or flippers, the walrus is second in size to the elephant seal, but that doesn't mean it's small. One male walrus weighed 3,432 pounds. A female reached about 1,500 pounds.
Walruses are famous for their tusks, which are actually big canine teeth.
Male tusks can measure up to 39 inches and weigh 12 pounds each. Females have tusks too, but slimmer and lighter ones. These big teeth help walruses haul themselves out of the water and onto pack ice, where they sleep, molt and give birth to their young. Tusks are also useful to walruses for feeding. The walrus glides along the ocean floor using its tusks like sled runners while searching for clams with its whiskers.