Walrus

Ranking The Kingdom

A New Year can only mean more animals, and Ranking the Kingdom is back from the break with a pipin' hot helping of Walrus to get you through these cold winter months.

A monstrous potato sack come to life, Walruses are the largest and possibly most rude of nature's pinnipeds, which makes them perfect fodder for a merciless ranking. You may be surprised though, these giant caterpillars with teeth can take quite a beating, and I promise that you'd never want to get caught out in the ocean with an angry one. It's the heaviest and meanest animal we've seen so far, but can they come out on top in a somewhat arbitrary seeming ranking system? Listen in and find out! We're also a little bit more family friendly in the new year, which means people of all ages can feel free to listen in and enjoy. From meter long tusks to pressure sensitive whiskers, I can guarantee that every listener out there will feel just like Steven Tyler this episode. Namely, you won't wanna miss a thing.

If you are new to the show and don't quite get how this whole "ranking animals" thing works, please head on over to the show's website for a quick explanation of the rating system, or download Your Review and You, a quick 10 minute episode of the podcast that covers everything you need to know. Also subscribe and rate Ranking the Kingdom on iTunes, and don't hesitate to follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@rankthekingdom) for the occasional update.

The Ranking the Kingdom subreddit is a great place to reach out as well, or you can even send an email to [e-mail]. For those of you with podcast apps that do not display pictures, you can go here to view each episode's set of images: rankingthekingdom.libsyn.com.

Episode Guide:

(0:00 - 05:37) Intro: Your Review and You, Cleaning Up, Crow Trouble.

(5:49 - 12:57) Unsorted Facts: Pacific and Atlantic, Heavy, Tongues.

(13:07 - 25:51) Instinct/ Evolution: Vibrissae, Oxygen, Swimming.

(26:01 - 32:55) Offense/ Defense: Tusks, Thick Skin, Polar Bear Fights.

(33:05 - 40:37) Society/ Resourcefulness: Babies, Bullies, Stampedes.

(40:47 - 49:15) Legacy/ Future: The Raven and The Walrus, Hunting, Population.

(40:47 - 1:03:20) The Ranking: Where we test the Walrus' mettle.

Pictures:

(The Pacific walrus is found in the Bering, Chukchi, and Laptev Sea, while the Atlantic walrus inhabits the coastal regions of northeastern Canada and Greenland.)

http://www.defenders.org/walrus/basic-facts

(Majestic Walrus)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/huppke/ct-obama-alaska-walrus-huppke-20150831-story.html

(Walrus Flipper)

http://www.arcticphoto.co.uk/gallery2/arctic/wildlife/seals/sz6006-22.htm

(Check Those Tusks. Dude’s Fierce.)

http://www.bioexpedition.com/walrus-anatomy/

('Most Adorable Walrus Picture' Winner)

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/photos/walruses/#/lounging-walrus_8391_600x450.jpg

(Dutch Explorers Experience Their First ‘Boss Fight’ Against a Walrus)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32856304

Sources:

Thank you to Silent Partner for the intro/ transition/ outro music, “Cloud Patterns”.

And thank you to the following sources for all of the free information:

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15106/0 (Walrus Population - 112,500)

http://www.marinebio.net/marinescience/04benthon/arcwalrus.htm (A wealth of Walrus knowledge)

http://www.walrus-world.com/walrus-predators/ (Walrus Predators)

http://www.bioexpedition.com/walrus-anatomy/ (Some Walrus Anatomy)

http://aquaticmammalsjournal.org/share/AquaticMammalsIssueArchives/1990/Aquatic_Mammals_16_2/Kastelein_Stevens.pdf (Walrus Vibrissae Sensitivity)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcWGOFkk6tw (Walrus using Vibrissae to find food)

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/walrus/ (More Walrus Facts)

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/thickness.html (Ice Thickness Safety Guide)

http://www.wild-facts.com/2009/wild-fact-983-a-lifeguards-dream-pacific-walrus/ (Pharyngeal Pouches)

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0034568783900725 (Respiration in Sea Mammals)

http://blog.explore.org/your-walrus-tusk-questions-answered/ (Walrus Tusks)

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10211-016-0248-x (Walrus Playing With Birds)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPl1x93dBCE (Animal Face-Off: Polar Bear and Walrus)

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-009-0298-9 (Cow/ Calf Vocal Recognition)

https://www.fws.gov/alaska/fisheries/mmm/mtrp/pdf/factsheet_walrus.pdf (Walrus Hunting Laws in Alaska)

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36842188 (Walurs Haul Out Database)

Bonus Source: Baby Crows, the Harsh Truth: http://coyot.es/thecorvidblog/2013/10/13/i-am-not-a-baby-crow/
Thank you as well to the following musicians for providing their tracks royalty free on Youtube:

I Don't See the Branches, I See the Leaves by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/dtv/

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

I Am Running with Temporary Success from a Monstrous Vacuum by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/honor/

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

Passing Time By Kevin MacLeod

CGI Snake by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/divider/

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

Undercover Vampire Policeman by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/uvp/

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

Clean Soul - Calming by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1300033

Artist: http://incompetech.com/