Walruses in Svalbard, Norway Sep 30, 2024

Walruses in Svalbard, Norway

What"s the perfect thing to do under the midnight sun? If you"re a walrus like the ones in today"s image, the answer might be taking a quick dip with your crew, chowing down on clams and mussels and then sunbathing on a beach or ice floe. Welcome to Svalbard, an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean halfway between Norway and the North Pole. Photographed in the waters off Spitsbergen, the largest of the archipelago"s nine islands, these aquatic mammals are year-round residents that are often found in male or female herds. Male walruses can be almost 3-metres long and weigh more than 1,179 kilograms, and during mating season, they use this girth to fight among themselves for dominance over groups of females, called harems.

© AWL Images/DanitaDelimont

palette

Today in History

Giants of the Southern Ocean
Sep 30, 2023Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Sep 30, 2025Koala in the Great Otway National Park, Australia

More Desktop Wallpapers:

May 18, 2024Natural History Museum, London, England
Mar 11, 2025Broken Beach in Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia
Oct 25, 2024Golden Temple, Amritsar
Nov 23, 2023Victoria Memorial, Kolkata, India
A magnificent place of worship
Urban planning never stops
Jul 23, 2025Vatican City, Rome, Italy
In the spotlight
Jul 7, 2025Northern gannets, Shetland Islands, Scotland
Dec 9, 2023India gate, New Delhi, India
Aug 13, 2024Telašćica Nature Park, Dugi Otok, Croatia
Which bird wore it best?
A blue-tiful island
Aug 12, 2024World Elephant Day
Feb 3, 2025Ribblehead Viaduct, North Yorkshire, England
Aug 14, 2024World Lizard Day
Jan 6, 2024A male chaffinch in a crab apple tree
Dec 2, 2023Angkor, Cambodia
Jun 9, 2024Bardenas Reales Biosphere Reserve and Natural Park, Navarra, Spain
Jan 18, 2025Dunes at White Sands National Park, New Mexico, United States
Rocks rock!
Jan 7, 2024Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve, Australia
Jan 5, 2024International Ice and Snow Festival, Harbin, China
A bridge that holds up history
Whos in this creepy copse?
Nov 9, 2025Interstellar clouds in the Lagoon Nebula
Whats so funny?
Unbe-leaf-able
Jul 25, 2025Colourful houses of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Standing on glass 900+ feet in the air