Nov 20, 2005 12:48 pm US/Central
CBS 2 At Brookfield Zoo: Walruses
by Susan Carlson
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
In this week's trip to the Brookfield Zoo you're going to meet a couple of temporary residents. Susan Carlson and Andre Copeland introduce us to the walruses and tell us why they're moving.
We are meeting two very special animals today, they are animals that are only going to be at Brookfield Zoo for a little while longer. Andre, introduce us to the walruses.
"First we're going to meet our 10-year-old petite walrus Joanie."
Petite? She's petite?
"That's right. Joan only weighs about 1,100 pounds right now, but she is only 10 years old so she has some growing to do."
It looks like she's doing some tricks for us.
"That's right, that's part of her training here. It gives her mental stimulation as well as physical exercise."
Where is she going to, Andre? Tell us what the program is about.
"She's going to Point Defiance in Tacoma, Washington and there she's going to participate in a breeding program with one of the males they have there. They've actually reconstructed the habitat to accommodate both Joan and her partner Basilla, who will be leaving sometime this year," Andre said. "Basilla is the larger of the two. She weighs 1,800 pounds."
Wow! Tell us about their unusual moustaches.
"Well, that moustache, some people think it is for good looks but actually it serves a very useful purpose. These animals will eat shellfish along the Baring Straight, but the one thing about shellfish is that they will hide up under the sand. So the walruses have adopted a unique way of getting the shellfish out. They will spit a stream of water into the sand, but then the sand starts to cloud the water up preventing the walruses from being able to see. So, they will use their whiskers – called vibrissae – to feel the shellfish. Once they feel a clam, they'll suck it up to their mouth and suck the clam right out of its shell."
You can meet Joan and Basilla through January at the Brookfield Zoo.
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