This is a sight that, sadly, is more than an historic snapshot of the past.  It is a warning sign to remind us what is passing. With global climate change we are losing ice on the Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea at a phenomenal rate. The range of the polar bear has been decreased dramatically and walrus like these are having a harder and harder time finding ice floes where they can pull themselves out of the water. Unfortunately too many people believe that global climate change is simply a brief, passing moment in the earth’s history and we will be “back to normal” within a few years. This may not be true.  California is in a multi-year drought, the storms in the American heartland are more destructive than ever and the last decade has been the hottest on record.  These walrus had an ice floe where they could pull themselves out of the Bering Sea. Their descendants are not so lucky.

As to the difference between a walrus and a banana; don’t try to peel a walrus.