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 of 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 4 metres long and weigh more than 1,200 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:

Mar. 20, 2025Spring equinox
Mar. 4, 2025Happy Fat Tuesday!
Sep. 21, 2025Sea Otter Awareness Week
Southern tip of a northern isle
Jun. 26, 2024Banggai cardinalfish with sea anemone
Dad on duty
Apr. 14, 2024Bowling Ball Beach, California, USA
Jan. 2, 2025Ardez village, Graubunden, Switzerland
Feb. 27, 2024International Polar Bear Day
Jun. 20, 2024Summer solstice
Mar. 7, 2024Roques de Benet, Els Ports Natural Park, Catalonia, Spain
The buffet is open
A light in the coastal darkness
An experiment in sustainability
Oct. 20, 2025International Sloth Day
Dec. 13, 2023Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands, Norway
‘The hills have a power to soothe and heal which is their very own.’
Big rocks, big heads, still counting?
Aug. 11, 2024Wooden path to Kennedy Lake, Vancouver Island
Oct. 2, 2023World Architecture Day
Jun. 5, 2025World Environment Day
Blood moon
Mar. 1, 2024Wheaton River, Yukon
Hiding in the woods
Jan. 10, 2025Abraham Lake, Alberta
Hear it roar!
Unbe-leaf-able
A public restroom or a tourist spot?
Apr. 1, 2025National Frog Month
Aug. 26, 2024Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Central Pacific Ocean