May 9, 2025 • 10 mins
Why do walrus look the way they do? Why do they have such long tusks? Do they have other teeth? Do walruses migrate? We learn all about these majestic giants with Adam Ratner of the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California.
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Unknown (00:00):
[Music}
Jane (00:20):
This is But Why
Public. I'm Jane Lindholm. Onthis show, we take questions
from curious kids just like you,and we find answers. Our last
episode was all about pinnipeds,four-flippered, carnivorous,
ocean dwelling mammals who comeup on land to rest and have
their babies. We specificallytalked about two of the three
(00:43):
types of pinnipeds, seals andsea lions, but we did not talk
about the third. Do you rememberwhat it is? Walruses! We
promised we would do a bonusepisode all about walruses, so
we're back today with ourpinniped expert, Adam Ratner, a
marine biologist at the MarineMammal Center in Sausalito,
California. That's a researchand rehabilitation center that
(01:06):
takes in sick or abandoned orwounded seals and sea lions and
helps them return to the wild.They do a lot of studying of
these pinnipeds too. Actually,Adam is speaking with us in
front of a group of baby sealsliving at the center
temporarily, so you might hearthem in the background as this
episode goes on. One of thereasons we didn't talk about
(01:28):
walruses in the previous episodewas because Adam and the other
people who work at the centerdon't take care of any.
Adam Ratner (01:35):
I would love to take care of a walrus, let me
just start by saying that, butthere are no walruses in
California. So walruses onlylive up in the Arctic, in the
cold water. So you'll see themaround Alaska and Norway and
kind of the Arctic Circle.They're built for life up in the
Arctic, as opposed to some ofthese other animals, like the
(01:57):
sea lions or the elephant seals,which aren't so the same way
that you see different animalsjust in different parts of the
world, polar bears, penguins,they're built for that
environment. And with walruses,they just love that cold up in
the Arctic, and it's where theyfigured out how to make their
home.
Jacob (02:14):
Hi, my name is Jacob. Why do walruses look so weird?
Jane (02:20):
Can you describe a walrus for someone who's never seen
one?
Adam Ratner (02:23):
Oh, so big. So these animals are, like, 4000
pounds. So that's like most ofan NFL football team like, put
together to make this walrus.They actually have long
flippers, kind of like the sealions. So they've got these big
front flippers. They can tucktheir back flippers underneath
them. They can walk around up onland if they need to, tons of
(02:45):
blubber, all that really goodfat. And then, of course, the
things that make walruses reallyspecial are those tusks. So
they've got these two big tusks,kind of like elephants that
stick down from the front oftheir face. They also have an
adorable mustache, I would add.
Itai (03:01):
I'm Itai and I'm five years old, and I live in Gorham,
Maine. Why do walruses have longteeth?
Adam Ratner (03:09):
So walruses live up on the ice flows. So they jump
into the water, they swimaround, and they look for things
like clams and other food. Andthey can actually use those
tusks to help kind of digthrough the sand to find some of
that clam food that might behiding. But then you also think
about what it takes to get backonto that ice flow, that iceberg
(03:30):
if you will, think about ifyou're in a swimming pool, you
get to the side of the swimmingpool and you want to climb out.
We tend to use our arms. We kindof push off and we climb up. The
walruses don't have those typesof arms to help them, so what
they can do instead is use thosetusks, put that onto the ice,
and use that to help kind ofprop them up onto the ice and
(03:51):
climb.
Jane (03:52):
Do walruses have teeth other than those two visible
tusks?
Adam Ratner (03:57):
They do. It's very different than the teeth that
other seals and sea lions have.So when we think about the teeth
in our mouths, we have sharpteeth. Those are the canines,
and we've got the flat teeth,the molars in the back. The
molars are for chewing. Andwalruses have almost all molars
because they eat clams. Youdon't really need super sharp
(04:17):
teeth for the clams. You gottachew the clams. So they've got a
full mouth of molars to helpthem eat their food.
Andy (04:23):
Hi, I'm Andy. I'm five from Boston, Massachusetts, and
I want to know why walrusesmigrate. Why don't they just
stay in the north?
Adam Ratner (04:36):
So walruses do migrate, but they all stay in
the north. So it's a little bitconfusing. I always view
migration as traveling betweenyour home and your favorite
restaurant. And some animals,your favorite restaurant is
going to be really far away fromyour home. So like California
sea lions, the boys, home isSouthern California favorite
(04:58):
restaurant could be Vancouver,up in Canada. For other animals,
the restaurant might be closer,and that's the case with
walruses. So they're alwaysgoing to stay in the Arctic
Circle, but they might move fromdifferent beaches and ice flows
to go find different food.
Jane (05:14):
So given that they're not leaving the north, they're not
leaving the Arctic Circle, butthey are migrating. Katara is
thinking about another placethat has a lot of very cold
water and very coldtemperatures, but no walruses.
My
Katara (05:30):
My name is Katara. I'm six years old, and I live in St
Petersburg, Florida. Why dowalruses only live in the North
Pole. Why don't they live in theSouth Pole?
Adam Ratner (05:44):
You know, sometimes it just depends where you show
up first and where you make yourhome. So we see some animals,
even though the conditions arepretty similar between the
Arctic and Antarctic. You thinkabout polar bears. They only
live up in the northernhemisphere, not in the southern
hemisphere. Penguins only downin Antarctica, not in the North
(06:04):
Pole. And the walrus has fallinto that group. They kind of
came to the Arctic a long, long,long, long, long, long, long
time ago and realized that thatis their favorite place to be.
And honestly, I think it wouldbe a bit daunting to try and get
to the South Pole from there, sothey figured they might just
stay up there for a little bitlonger.
Jane (06:22):
What else is cool about walruses that we should know,
because most of us will neverhave an opportunity to see one
in the wild.
Adam Ratner (06:30):
Walruses are just very cool. The mustache is
adorable. Highly recommend. Thebabies are really big, so when
they're born, they're close to100 pounds, and they're going to
spend a really long time withmom. They can spend between one
and two years with their mom,which is much longer than a lot
of the seals and sea lions. Andthey love contact. So as babies,
(06:51):
walruses loved being hugged bytheir mom. It's very, very cute.
And then the other thing, frommy perspective, that makes them
really cool is, because I'mreally interested in animal
behavior is walruses can makelots of really different sounds.
They can make lots of differentvocalizations, both in water and
out of water. So compared to theelephant seals with just that
(07:11):
cackle, walruses make a wholebunch of different very cool
sounds.
Jane (07:15):
Can you mimic one?
Adam Ratner (07:17):
I was so afraid you were going to ask that question.
They can make a bunch. They canmake a, I've actually seen
walruses whistle. I've seenwalruses make a sound that
sounds like a, like a gutter,like a, like a rain, like
flushing of a toilet, almost.Yeah, they're all over the map.
Jane (07:38):
So the answer is, No, you won't make the sound.
Adam Ratner (07:40):
It would be really bad. It would be really bad. It
wouldn't do them justice.
Jane (07:45):
Since Adam is not a walrus impersonator, we found some
recordings of walrus sounds toplay for you instead.
Walrus (08:03):
[walrus sounds]
Jane (08:03):
Wow, they do sound pretty unique. Walruses may not look
like any other animals in theanimal kingdom, but they're
still relatives of the seals andsea lions we talked about in our
last episode. I wanted to knowhow Adam got into working with
pinnipeds like these andlearning so much about these
very cool animals. What did hewant to be when he was a kid,
(08:24):
for example?
Adam Ratner (08:26):
I wanted to be this. So I always joke that a
lot of people, when they'rekids, they want to grow up to
work with dolphins or whales orseals, and I just didn't outgrow
that. My focus was on researchthough. I was a scientist, I
wanted to better understandwhere these animals go. So
what's their migration? How dothey talk to each other? How do
(08:49):
they learn? So I spent time outon boats, and I spent times in
labs looking at birds and fishand marine mammals. And before I
came to the Marine MammalCenter, I kind of had this
moment where I saw a lot ofthese seals and sea lions
getting sick. I saw them beingimpacted by trash. I saw them
being impacted by things likeclimate change, and I realized
(09:10):
that I couldn't just stay on aboat or be in a windowless lab.
I wanted to help give them asecond chance, and that's what
the Marine Mammal Center does.We're able to help the animals
that are sick, but we're alsolearning so much about them, and
I've got all of these wonderfulpeople, listeners on the podcast
today, people that visit theMarine Mammal Center or go to
our website that also want tohelp. So we've got this whole
(09:31):
army of heroes for theenvironment that's going to
create a healthy ocean formarine mammals and people alike.
Jane (09:37):
Thank you to Adam Ratner, Director of conservation
engagement at the Marine MammalCenter, and thanks to the center
for letting us visit. You cancheck out their website,
MarineMammalCenter.org, to learnmore about their work and the
animals they care for. Thewalrus sounds you heard earlier
are courtesy of the WatkinsMarine Mammal Sound Database,
(09:58):
Woods Hole OceanographicInstitution and the New Bedford
Whaling Museum. As always, ifyou have a question about
anything, have an adult record,you asking it on a smartphone
using an app like voice memos,then have your adult email your
file toquestions@ButWhyKids.org.But Why
is produced by Melody Bodette,Sarah Baik and me, Jane Lindholm
(10:19):
at Vermont Public anddistributed by PRX. Our video
producer is Joey Palumbo, andour theme music is by Luke
Reynolds. If you like our show,please have your adults help you
give us a thumbs up or a reviewon whatever podcast platform you
use to listen to us. We'll beback next week with an all new
episode. Until then, stay curious.
[Music}
Jane (00:20):
This is But Why
Public. I'm Jane Lindholm. Onthis show, we take questions
from curious kids just like you,and we find answers. Our last
episode was all about pinnipeds,four-flippered, carnivorous,
ocean dwelling mammals who comeup on land to rest and have
their babies. We specificallytalked about two of the three
(00:43):
types of pinnipeds, seals andsea lions, but we did not talk
about the third. Do you rememberwhat it is? Walruses! We
promised we would do a bonusepisode all about walruses, so
we're back today with ourpinniped expert, Adam Ratner, a
marine biologist at the MarineMammal Center in Sausalito,
California. That's a researchand rehabilitation center that
(01:06):
takes in sick or abandoned orwounded seals and sea lions and
helps them return to the wild.They do a lot of studying of
these pinnipeds too. Actually,Adam is speaking with us in
front of a group of baby sealsliving at the center
temporarily, so you might hearthem in the background as this
episode goes on. One of thereasons we didn't talk about
(01:28):
walruses in the previous episodewas because Adam and the other
people who work at the centerdon't take care of any.
Adam Ratner (01:35):
I would love to take care of a walrus, let me
just start by saying that, butthere are no walruses in
California. So walruses onlylive up in the Arctic, in the
cold water. So you'll see themaround Alaska and Norway and
kind of the Arctic Circle.They're built for life up in the
Arctic, as opposed to some ofthese other animals, like the
(01:57):
sea lions or the elephant seals,which aren't so the same way
that you see different animalsjust in different parts of the
world, polar bears, penguins,they're built for that
environment. And with walruses,they just love that cold up in
the Arctic, and it's where theyfigured out how to make their
home.
Jacob (02:14):
Hi, my name is Jacob. Why do walruses look so weird?
Jane (02:20):
Can you describe a walrus for someone who's never seen
one?
Adam Ratner (02:23):
Oh, so big. So these animals are, like, 4000
pounds. So that's like most ofan NFL football team like, put
together to make this walrus.They actually have long
flippers, kind of like the sealions. So they've got these big
front flippers. They can tucktheir back flippers underneath
them. They can walk around up onland if they need to, tons of
(02:45):
blubber, all that really goodfat. And then, of course, the
things that make walruses reallyspecial are those tusks. So
they've got these two big tusks,kind of like elephants that
stick down from the front oftheir face. They also have an
adorable mustache, I would add.
Itai (03:01):
I'm Itai and I'm five years old, and I live in Gorham,
Maine. Why do walruses have longteeth?
Adam Ratner (03:09):
So walruses live up on the ice flows. So they jump
into the water, they swimaround, and they look for things
like clams and other food. Andthey can actually use those
tusks to help kind of digthrough the sand to find some of
that clam food that might behiding. But then you also think
about what it takes to get backonto that ice flow, that iceberg
(03:30):
if you will, think about ifyou're in a swimming pool, you
get to the side of the swimmingpool and you want to climb out.
We tend to use our arms. We kindof push off and we climb up. The
walruses don't have those typesof arms to help them, so what
they can do instead is use thosetusks, put that onto the ice,
and use that to help kind ofprop them up onto the ice and
(03:51):
climb.
Jane (03:52):
Do walruses have teeth other than those two visible
tusks?
Adam Ratner (03:57):
They do. It's very different than the teeth that
other seals and sea lions have.So when we think about the teeth
in our mouths, we have sharpteeth. Those are the canines,
and we've got the flat teeth,the molars in the back. The
molars are for chewing. Andwalruses have almost all molars
because they eat clams. Youdon't really need super sharp
(04:17):
teeth for the clams. You gottachew the clams. So they've got a
full mouth of molars to helpthem eat their food.
Andy (04:23):
Hi, I'm Andy. I'm five from Boston, Massachusetts, and
I want to know why walrusesmigrate. Why don't they just
stay in the north?
Adam Ratner (04:36):
So walruses do migrate, but they all stay in
the north. So it's a little bitconfusing. I always view
migration as traveling betweenyour home and your favorite
restaurant. And some animals,your favorite restaurant is
going to be really far away fromyour home. So like California
sea lions, the boys, home isSouthern California favorite
(04:58):
restaurant could be Vancouver,up in Canada. For other animals,
the restaurant might be closer,and that's the case with
walruses. So they're alwaysgoing to stay in the Arctic
Circle, but they might move fromdifferent beaches and ice flows
to go find different food.
Jane (05:14):
So given that they're not leaving the north, they're not
leaving the Arctic Circle, butthey are migrating. Katara is
thinking about another placethat has a lot of very cold
water and very coldtemperatures, but no walruses.
My
Katara (05:30):
My name is Katara. I'm six years old, and I live in St
Petersburg, Florida. Why dowalruses only live in the North
Pole. Why don't they live in theSouth Pole?
Adam Ratner (05:44):
You know, sometimes it just depends where you show
up first and where you make yourhome. So we see some animals,
even though the conditions arepretty similar between the
Arctic and Antarctic. You thinkabout polar bears. They only
live up in the northernhemisphere, not in the southern
hemisphere. Penguins only downin Antarctica, not in the North
(06:04):
Pole. And the walrus has fallinto that group. They kind of
came to the Arctic a long, long,long, long, long, long, long
time ago and realized that thatis their favorite place to be.
And honestly, I think it wouldbe a bit daunting to try and get
to the South Pole from there, sothey figured they might just
stay up there for a little bitlonger.
Jane (06:22):
What else is cool about walruses that we should know,
because most of us will neverhave an opportunity to see one
in the wild.
Adam Ratner (06:30):
Walruses are just very cool. The mustache is
adorable. Highly recommend. Thebabies are really big, so when
they're born, they're close to100 pounds, and they're going to
spend a really long time withmom. They can spend between one
and two years with their mom,which is much longer than a lot
of the seals and sea lions. Andthey love contact. So as babies,
(06:51):
walruses loved being hugged bytheir mom. It's very, very cute.
And then the other thing, frommy perspective, that makes them
really cool is, because I'mreally interested in animal
behavior is walruses can makelots of really different sounds.
They can make lots of differentvocalizations, both in water and
out of water. So compared to theelephant seals with just that
(07:11):
cackle, walruses make a wholebunch of different very cool
sounds.
Jane (07:15):
Can you mimic one?
Adam Ratner (07:17):
I was so afraid you were going to ask that question.
They can make a bunch. They canmake a, I've actually seen
walruses whistle. I've seenwalruses make a sound that
sounds like a, like a gutter,like a, like a rain, like
flushing of a toilet, almost.Yeah, they're all over the map.
Jane (07:38):
So the answer is, No, you won't make the sound.
Adam Ratner (07:40):
It would be really bad. It would be really bad. It
wouldn't do them justice.
Jane (07:45):
Since Adam is not a walrus impersonator, we found some
recordings of walrus sounds toplay for you instead.
Walrus (08:03):
[walrus sounds]
Jane (08:03):
Wow, they do sound pretty unique. Walruses may not look
like any other animals in theanimal kingdom, but they're
still relatives of the seals andsea lions we talked about in our
last episode. I wanted to knowhow Adam got into working with
pinnipeds like these andlearning so much about these
very cool animals. What did hewant to be when he was a kid,
(08:24):
for example?
Adam Ratner (08:26):
I wanted to be this. So I always joke that a
lot of people, when they'rekids, they want to grow up to
work with dolphins or whales orseals, and I just didn't outgrow
that. My focus was on researchthough. I was a scientist, I
wanted to better understandwhere these animals go. So
what's their migration? How dothey talk to each other? How do
(08:49):
they learn? So I spent time outon boats, and I spent times in
labs looking at birds and fishand marine mammals. And before I
came to the Marine MammalCenter, I kind of had this
moment where I saw a lot ofthese seals and sea lions
getting sick. I saw them beingimpacted by trash. I saw them
being impacted by things likeclimate change, and I realized
(09:10):
that I couldn't just stay on aboat or be in a windowless lab.
I wanted to help give them asecond chance, and that's what
the Marine Mammal Center does.We're able to help the animals
that are sick, but we're alsolearning so much about them, and
I've got all of these wonderfulpeople, listeners on the podcast
today, people that visit theMarine Mammal Center or go to
our website that also want tohelp. So we've got this whole
(09:31):
army of heroes for theenvironment that's going to
create a healthy ocean formarine mammals and people alike.
Jane (09:37):
Thank you to Adam Ratner, Director of conservation
engagement at the Marine MammalCenter, and thanks to the center
for letting us visit. You cancheck out their website,
MarineMammalCenter.org, to learnmore about their work and the
animals they care for. Thewalrus sounds you heard earlier
are courtesy of the WatkinsMarine Mammal Sound Database,
(09:58):
Woods Hole OceanographicInstitution and the New Bedford
Whaling Museum. As always, ifyou have a question about
anything, have an adult record,you asking it on a smartphone
using an app like voice memos,then have your adult email your
file toquestions@ButWhyKids.org.But Why
is produced by Melody Bodette,Sarah Baik and me, Jane Lindholm
(10:19):
at Vermont Public anddistributed by PRX. Our video
producer is Joey Palumbo, andour theme music is by Luke
Reynolds. If you like our show,please have your adults help you
give us a thumbs up or a reviewon whatever podcast platform you
use to listen to us. We'll beback next week with an all new
episode. Until then, stay curious.
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