THE WALRUS: Giant of the Arctic Ice

A mother and her calf, members of a nursery herd journeying north on drifting ice floes, are the focus of this accessible photo-illustrated introduction to the Pacific walrus. The minimal narrative provides a sufficient framework for the information on how walruses eat, care for their young, migrate and cope with such diverse foes as the dangerous killer whale, the polar bear and the bothersome sea lice. McDearmon passes on some interesting specifics -- on, for example, the walrus's 400 or so whiskers, each with its own blood vessels and nerves, which she uses to feel for food on the muddy bottom -- and she is good at integrating scattered facts and explaining the functions of curious features and behavior.