I Gave a Walrus a Dental Exam! #shorts

#walrus #shorts #kpassionate
Whoops! I was having trouble uploading videos this morning and accidentally deleted this one. Apologies in advance if you've already seen it!

Walrus tusks, which are found on both males and females, are actually large canine teeth which grow throughout their lives and can reach a meter in length! Walrus tusks don’t have a hard outer enamel layer like human teeth. And because walruses naturally rub their tusks, they can get worn down and allow bacteria to enter the tooth and cause infection and pain, which can have serious health side effects. That is why this walrus, named Balzak, has metal crowns on his tusks to prevent them from becoming worn down and susceptible to bacterial infection. That’s just one reason he gets regular dental check ups!

Today the biggest threat facing walruses is the loss of stable sea ice due to climate change. As a result of less sea ice, walrus are changing their behavior. In the wild, walruses use their tusks to haul themselves out of the water and onto the sea ice. Without the sea ice, walruses will haul out on land where their tusks can break on rocks, leading to infections.

Walruses aren’t the only animals affected by the loss of sea ice. Learn more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvnfUTWe3xs

Balzak was born at the Aquarium du Quebec back in 2016 and I had the privilege of working with this handsome walrus for several years. During that time, Balzak participated in several important research projects into the metabolism of walruses and this information was used to enact laws and policies aimed at protecting his cousins in the wild.

Recently, Balzak and his sister Lakina have moved to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium where I now have the opportunity to work with him again after several years. He looks great and I can't wait to share more of him and his sister Lakina in the near future!

The postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent Metro Parks Tacoma’s positions, strategies, or opinions.

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