Diving and haul-out patterns of walruses Odobenus rosmarus on Svalbard

Abstract.

Nine male walruses were equipped with dive recording devices in Svalbard to investigate walrus diving and haul-out behaviour in late summer. Dive information on 6,018 dives was collected by 3 satellite linked dive recorders. Additional dive information on 7,769 dives was obtained from 3 time depth recorders. The deepest dive recorded was 67 m, but mean depth of foraging dives was 22.5 m. The longest-lasting dive recorded was 24 min, but mean duration of foraging dives was 6 min. The walruses, on average, spent 56 h in the water followed by 20 h hauled out on land.