Walruses are circumpolar, but they are concentrated in several geographically separated areas, with little or no chance of interbreeding. Pacific walruses inhabit the Bering, Chukchi, and Laptev seas. Atlantic walruses inhabit coastal areas of north eastern Canada and Greenland. They prefer a habitat with a gravelly bottom.
Walruses spend about two-thirds of their lives in the water.
Walruses haul out to rest and bear their young. Walruses are adapted to a habitat of sea ice and prefer snow-covered moving pack ice or ice floes to land. They haul out on small rocky islands when ice is not present. The walruses' migration follows the extent of the pack ice. Throughout the year, they occur primarily in or near the southern periphery of the pack ice.