Imagine being at the edge of the Arctic, watching a mighty walrus basking atop a high cliff, way above the freezing cold sea. Suddenly, the walrus slips, and with a slight body movement, it takes a terrifying tumble off the rocky edge.
A sight that would undoubtedly leave us asking the question, why on Earth would a walrus climb a cliff only to fall off? We’re here to unravel this unusual and sadly, tragic aspect of walrus behavior.
Why Do Walruses Fall Off Cliffs?
The main reasons walruses end up falling off cliffs come down to overcrowding and disturbances, with humans often being the cause of the latter. Imagine a crowded train station where one false move can create a wave of chaos – that’s what it’s like for walruses.
When they congregate in large groups, the slightest panic can cause a rush that ends in them diving off cliffs. This issue is made worse by the fact that climate change is causing sea ice to melt, leaving walruses with less space to gather and forcing them to occupy precarious land sites – like cliffs.
Digging Deeper: Why Walruses Fall Off Cliffs
Let’s now step into a world where human activities don’t impact wildlife – a world where walruses have their usual resting spots on vast sheets of sea ice or expansive flat beaches.
It’s hard to picture a walrus perched on a cliff edge in this scenario, isn’t it? That’s because it’s not their natural behavior.
But as the sea ice continues to disappear because of rising global temperatures, these big guys are left with no choice but to clamber onto land, even if that land happens to be steep, rocky cliffs.
What was once a wide-open icy landscape is now crowded land, causing the walruses to venture higher in search of space.
Now here’s the thing, walruses are a jumpy lot. A loud noise, a moving shadow, a perceived threat can trigger them into a frenzy.
In such a state of panic, their instinct is to escape to the safety of the sea, and sadly, some end up taking a dangerous plunge off the cliff in the process.
It’s crucial to remember that walruses aren’t naturally cliff divers. This heartbreaking event is a relatively new phenomenon and is a harsh reminder of the drastic effects of climate change on wildlife behavior.
Do Walruses Die When They Fall?
A walrus’ fall from a cliff is not a pretty sight and can often be fatal. These gentle giants can weigh over 1,500 kg, and a fall from significant height can cause severe, sometimes fatal injuries. They may end up with broken bones and internal damage which can lead to their death.
How Many Walruses Die from Falling?
As for how many walruses die from such falls, exact numbers are hard to pinpoint, mostly because these incidents occur in remote locations. But some events have led to a horrific number of deaths.
A tragic example of this was witnessed in 2017 and documented in Netflix’s “Our Planet,” where a few hundred walruses are believed to have died from falling off cliffs at a single location. It’s a sobering reminder of how grave the situation has become for these animals.
Conclusion
The sight of walruses tumbling off cliffs is a painful reality of how climate change is impacting the world’s wildlife. As their icy homes melt away, these grand creatures face increased hardships and are forced into behaviors that endanger their lives.
It serves as a stark reminder of how all life on Earth is interconnected and how urgent it is for us to act on climate change. The survival of walruses, along with countless other species, hangs in the balance, and the stakes, sadly, have never been higher.
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