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Explore the walruses’ evolutionary past and their ability to thrive through the ages on NATURE “Walrus: Life on Thin Ice”- October 22 at 8 pm


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NATURE

“Walrus: Life on Thin Ice”

Wednesday, October 22 at 8:00 pm

The walrus is one of the Arctic’s most enigmatic and social animals, relying on sea ice to live.
Follow a paleontologist who embarks on an Arctic adventure to see how these mammals are
coping in a warming world.

SeaWorld San Diego’s Senior Zoological Specialist Denise Higginbotham with Dozer, the 3,500-pound adult male Pacific walrus.
SeaWorld San Diego’s Senior Zoological Specialist Denise Higginbotham with Dozer, the 3,500-pound adult male Pacific walrus. Credit: Alex Tate / Windfall Films

With bulbous eyes, two long sharp tusks, a long mustache and one ton of blubber, the walrus is far from majestic. But for Kirk Johnson, scientist and Sant Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the walrus has been a creature close to his heart for 30 years. Johnson will follow his passion and trek across the Arctic to uncover the hidden lives of these lumbering giants, their cultural significance to the native peoples of the North, and the threats they face as climate change shrinks the sea ice. Johnson will explore the walrus’ evolutionary past and reveal the creature’s ability to adapt, survive and thrive through the ages. With global climate change, perhaps this colossal creature will be forced to adapt once more.