Revised: 07/12/2002 PACIFIC WALRUS (Odobenus rosmarus divergens): Alaska Stock

• Main Authors: Stock Definition, Geographic Range
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chukchi Sea; East Siberian Sea; Pacific; Beaufort Sea; Chukchi; Odobenus rosmarus; Alaska; walrus*
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.165.4098; http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/sars/fws2002_walrus-p.pdf

The family Odobenidae is represented by a single modern species Odobenus rosmarus of which two subspecies are generally recognized: the Atlantic walrus (O. r. rosmarus), and the Pacific walrus (O. r. divergens). The two subspecies occur in geographically isolated populations. The Pacific walrus is the only form occurring in U.S. waters and considered in this account. Pacific walrus range throughout the continental shelf waters of the Bering and Chukchi seas, occasionally moving into the East Siberian Sea and the Beaufort Sea (Fig. 1). During the summer months most of the population migrates into the Chukchi Sea