This morning we awoke at the obscene hour of 6:00 a.m. to find the icy waters disturbed by the aquatic cavorting of several enormous walruses. As the Caledonian Star wormed its way through dense pack ice we were treated to views of a small group of walrus swimming among the floes and further navigation brought us to the pair of ungainly beasts shown in this photo. Weighing in at up to1200 kg (2640 lbs), the walrus is one of the largest animals in the Arctic and, not surprisingly, does not move swiftly on shore or when hauled out on the pack ice. In the water however, it is as graceful as a mustachioed mermaid and its land-based timidity gives way to behaviours that show a great deal more confidence and even aggression. Early Arctic explorers like the Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen found walrus to be the most dangerous animal they encountered while paddling their kayaks and even polar bears seem to avoid entering the water when there are walrus about. Molluscs make up the bulk of the walrus diet although a few individuals are known to prey on the small ringed seals that share the pack ice with these wrinkled giants. Both sexes have tusks, but they are usually longer and more robust in the males. Our early morning encounter ended as the ship backed away and left these two to their obviously busy napping schedule.