Thousands of walruses flock to the northwestern coast of Alaska

The Pacific hippopotamus began gathering on the northwest coast of Alaska, to the sandy beaches of the sea.

(Photo: Yahoo! News)

The movement of the hippopotamus in bulk as a symbol of warming in the region.

On August 17, 2011, an organization tasked with monitoring mammal marine animals, conducting a survey on the Chukchi Sea discovered about 5,000 walruses on a Point Lay beach in northwest Alaska and a herd. The second has 3,000 walruses resting nearby.

In the winter, Pacific walrus is found at the edge of the sea ice in the Bering Sea. Adult males are still here until the summer but their females and their offspring move out of here when the ice melts, following the north through the Bering Strait and into the Chukchi Sea. The walrus and their offspring went into the northwest coast of Alaska in the late summer and fall during the past 4-5 years. This phenomenon began after the sea ice melted far off the continental shelf with shallow water to the deep waters of the Arctic basin.

Walruses can dive up to 600 feet to find mussels, snails and other food on the ocean floor. While the continental shelf may be as deep as 10,000 feet or more.

When moving and gathering into large groups on the coast, walruses will face danger due to turmoil in the herd.

In 2007, for the first time, thousands of walruses moved to the northwest coast of Alaska. By 2009, the amount of concentration had never been greater, reaching 20,000 near Point Lay, an Eskimo village 300 miles southwest of Barrow and 700 miles northwest of Anchorage.

More than 130 walruses, mostly young, were trampled in September 2009 at Cape Icy Alaska in a disorder that could be caused by a polar bear, hunters and airplanes.

The walrus is very sensitive to human activities and machines. The Department of Fish and Wildlife warns pilots and coastal residents about half a mile away from their herds to ensure safety.

US geological survey scientists plan to continue wearing surveillance satellite tags for 35 walruses to monitor their activity.