Remember that this is a very sensitive species, and he's a very long way from his Arctic home." 2) Do not publicly disclose the location of the sighting to avoid attracting crowds to him.
Observe quietly from a minimum of 300m and keep dogs on a lead. The gregarious walrus, who’s come from Svalbard in Norway, has been seeking the company of humans and climbing aboard dinghies and yachts. "We ask if anyone encounters the Walrus to please: 1) Do not approach him as he is a protected species. Pictures: Cormac Walsh / Ireland /KYFDFjouvb Kerry last March, has returned to Irish waters after completing the European leg of his tour. The Walrus is back in Irish waters! The young, male Atlantic Walrus, who was originally sighted on Valentia Island, Co. Sea Rescue Ireland issued an appeal to Irish oceangoers to respect Wally if he is encountered. “By the time he realised he was probably far from home… He has no GPS so he probably just swam away and didn’t realise the direction until he found Valentia.” Kevin Flannery of Dingle’s OceanWorld Aquarium explained to the Irish Times in March how unusual it is to encounter a walrus in Irish waters. Some scientists believe he fell asleep on a floating sheet of ice and found himself very far from home. Wally is believed to originate in Svalbard, north of Norway. Wally is only approximately two metres and from the size of their tusks it's likely Wally is not yet fully grown."He has certainly been a highlight and something to remember." They can reach lengths of approximately three and a half metres and weigh up to 1.5 tons. The walrus is the largest pinniped except for the male elephant seal. There is only one species of walrus Odobenus rosmarus which translates from Latin to "tooth walking sea horse".Īlthough there is only one species of walrus there are two subspecies that have been divided geographically these subspecies look different to one another and are genetically distinct.Ītlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) historically range from the central Canadian Arctic east to the Kara Sea, north to Svalbard and south to Nova Scotia, while the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) range across continental shelf waters of the northern Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea, using broken ice habitat and coastal haulouts to access feeding areas.īoth subspecies are highly mobile and occupy large ranges so it is hard to predict where Wally might go next but they can be fussy eaters, so it is likely going to be somewhere with relatively shallow water with lots of benthic invertebrates. However, they belong to the genus Odobenus. The walrus is a pinniped or fin-footed mammal and is related to seals and sea lions. Sibéal Regan who is the Education and Outreach Officer with IWDG tells us more about the big sea creature and where it normally spends it's time. You can see their report with maps of the big mammal's journey here - Walrus returns to Ireland These walruses can grow up to three and a half metres long!
#WALLY THE WALRUS FOR FREE#
If you see Wally or any other sea mammals you can let the guys at IWDG know - email you can download the brand new sightings app for free HERE!
He is chilling in Cork right now and he might stay on the move too as walruses can travel vast distances as we have seen. Either way, walrus sightings here are extremely rare. The National Biodiversity Data Centre has 11 walrus records but the Natural History Museum suggest this number may be as high as 20 going back over several centuries. Manage PreferencesĪccording to their records this is only the third recent IWDG validated record of this Arctic pinniped, although there are likely to be other sighting records that were not reported to IWDG, whose focus is on cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises). Please review their details and accept them to load the content. We need your consent to load this rte-player content We use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Here Padraig Whooley, who is the Sightings Officer for the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG), tells Morning Ireland a bit more about the walrus' big adventure. It's a very rare animal to have in Irish waters, so let's take the chance to learn a bit more about walruses. He is on the move again and is going for a tour of Cork! Maybe he wants to race the rowers below!?Ĭlick here to read the latest report from RTÉ News RTÉ News have reported the animal nicknamed Wally, which first appeared on Kerry's Valentia Island back in March, has returned and was chilling out on a boat in County Waterford! Well, as his tour continues it's a great chance to learn all about this giant sea creature Did you hear the news about Wally the wandering walrus who has returned to Ireland after a big trip all around Europe!?
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