Not Just for Show: The Surprising Truth About Walrus Tusks

When people picture a walrus, what often comes to mind are those enormous, curved tusks, poking out from a thick moustache of whiskers and a saggy, wrinkled face. They’re majestic, bizarre, and somehow both cute and terrifying. But what if I told you that those tusks—so often misunderstood—are not used to dig for food, as many believe?

Instead, walrus tusks are much more than a culinary tool. They are a status symbol, a survival tool, and a clear expression of dominance.

Let’s dive beneath the icy surface and uncover the real purpose of a walrus’s most iconic feature.

What Are Walrus Tusks, Really?

Tusks are actually elongated canine teeth (gigi taring) that never stop growing. In mature walruses, they can reach up to 40 to 100 centimeters long, with males generally having larger tusks than females. Both sexes have tusks, but the males’ tusks serve a more aggressive and dominant function.

These ivory giants are not just bones. They’re living tissue, supplied with blood during development and connected to nerves, which makes them quite sensitive—especially when young.

Myth: Walruses Use Tusks to Dig for Food

One of the most common misconceptions is that walruses use their tusks to dig into the seabed to search for food. While that might sound logical at first (especially since walruses eat clams, mollusks, and crustaceans buried in the sand), science tells us otherwise.

In truth, walruses use their powerful, sensitive snouts—not tusks—for digging. Their upper lips are covered with hundreds of stiff bristles, called vibrissae, which act like ultra-sensitive fingers, feeling for movement in the mud.

So if they’re not digging with tusks... what are they doing?

Tusks as a Tool for Survival

One of the most important roles of tusks is to help walruses haul themselves out of icy water and onto floating ice sheets. This is especially true for heavier adult walruses, who use their tusks like ice picks, jabbing them into the ice and pulling their weight up and out.

In fact, the word "walrus" may come from Old Norse: hvalr (whale) and ros (horse) — but some theories suggest it could also relate to the Old Dutch word for "tooth-walker" — referencing their use of tusks to move across the ice.

A Show of Power and Dominance

Male walruses use their tusks for displaying dominance, particularly during mating season. The bigger the tusks, the more intimidating the male appears to rivals—and the more attractive he becomes to females.

Fights between males can become intense, involving head-butting, tusk-clashing, and loud bellows. The tusks can cause serious wounds, but often, just showing them is enough to settle disputes without bloodshed.

In this way, the tusks are like antlers in deer—used to impress, intimidate, and assert control.

Tusks as a Breathing Tool?

Here’s a surprising function you might not know: walruses use their tusks to create breathing holes in the ice. When trapped beneath frozen water, they jab at the ice above to weaken it, helping them break through for air.

While they’re not as skilled at this as some seals, it’s another clever use of a body part that’s often misunderstood.

A Natural Thermometer?

Interestingly, tusks can also reflect age, health, and stress levels in a walrus. Just like tree rings, layers of growth in the tusks can tell researchers how old a walrus is and even what kind of environmental conditions it faced during its life.

This makes the tusk not only a physical tool but a biological record, holding clues about the animal’s history.

The Threat to Tusks: Poaching and Climate Change

Sadly, tusks are also the reason walruses are sometimes hunted illegally. The ivory trade remains a threat in some parts of the world, despite regulations.

Even more pressing is climate change. As sea ice melts, walruses lose the platforms they use for resting, mating, and protecting young. Without ice, even the most powerful tusks can’t help them survive.

Final Thought: More Than Just a Tooth

So the next time you see a walrus—or even a photo of one—don’t just admire those tusks for their size. Know that they are multifunctional marvels of nature: symbols of power, tools for climbing, keys to breathing, and silent storytellers of the animal’s life.

They’re not just teeth. They’re survival tools, social signals, and scientific archives — all packed into one magnificent curve of ivory.

Hungry for More?

If this fact about walruses made you rethink what you thought you knew about the animal kingdom, you’re not alone. From snails with 25,000 teeth to birds with bones lighter than their feathers, the natural world is full of surprises.

Stay curious — because nature is always weirder (and cooler) than we think.