Image 13 of 35
Rough Seas
150822-093616 TimAuer_RoughSeas_polarpassion.tif
Rough Seas
A walrus calf clings to its mother's back for protection in rough seas off the shore of Kvitøya, or the "White Island". This is one of the most remote places in the Svalbard archipelago, it is rarely visited by ship, as it is frequently bound in sea ice quite late into the season. 10 days before this photo was taken, this part of the Arctic Ocean was completely frozen.
A walrus mother is an all-star in the world of animal moms! For two years the mother provides constant protection, cradling the calf between her fore-flippers, or letting it cling to her back, as can be observed in this photo. Both female and male walrus have been observed carrying an orphaned calf away from danger. It is also not unusual for a calfless cow to adopt an orphaned calf.
The choppy conditions also did not provide the most stable platform to handhold a 600 mm lens from. As the waves washed over the walrus and splashed over the zodiac’s bow, I was able to rely on the lens' image stabilization to help me compose and capture this somewhat quizzical looking walrus and her baby.
Sources:
Pielou, E.C. “A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic”, 2012. University of Chicago Press.
Riedman, M. "The Pinnipeds: Seals, Sea Lions, and Walruses", 1990. University of California Press.
A walrus calf clings to its mother's back for protection in rough seas off the shore of Kvitøya, or the "White Island". This is one of the most remote places in the Svalbard archipelago, it is rarely visited by ship, as it is frequently bound in sea ice quite late into the season. 10 days before this photo was taken, this part of the Arctic Ocean was completely frozen.
A walrus mother is an all-star in the world of animal moms! For two years the mother provides constant protection, cradling the calf between her fore-flippers, or letting it cling to her back, as can be observed in this photo. Both female and male walrus have been observed carrying an orphaned calf away from danger. It is also not unusual for a calfless cow to adopt an orphaned calf.
The choppy conditions also did not provide the most stable platform to handhold a 600 mm lens from. As the waves washed over the walrus and splashed over the zodiac’s bow, I was able to rely on the lens' image stabilization to help me compose and capture this somewhat quizzical looking walrus and her baby.
Sources:
Pielou, E.C. “A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic”, 2012. University of Chicago Press.
Riedman, M. "The Pinnipeds: Seals, Sea Lions, and Walruses", 1990. University of California Press.
