Page 47 - 2003 SVALBARD, NORWAY

Brent (naturalist walking with us & carrying the big rifle) told us

that walrus mostly eat clams which they are able to suck up from
the mud at the bottoms of the seas and then force open with their

very powerful cheek muscles and ability to force water into the
clam shells. It did not appear that they could move very rapidly on

land but when a big fellow would rear up and seem to look
intently at the top of the little rim of beach where we lay “spying,”
we all wondered about that conclusion because there wasn’t

much distance between the warm pile of walrus (officially called a
“huddle”) and us. Another fact we learned here is that both seal

and walrus groupings are called “herds.”

After we had lay on the rocks for about 20 minutes, we got up to
do some walking, though whether or not it was the long walk

originally contemplated, we never knew. The walking was not
difficult even though we did climb up some pebbly shelves
(successive beach areas caused by the isotonic uplift of land as the

ice shelf melted over the centuries). We saw amazing little
flowering plants, tiny, but colorful. Some in pincushion shapes,

others just staying as close to the pebbles as possible to keep out
of the wind. The colors were deeply saturated and quite beautiful,

especially in contrast to the stark surroundings: whites, purples,
yellows and pinks. However, the rocks and pebbles were also of

diverse colorations and markings too. The gray sky and overall
ochre color of the beach provided a very satisfactory background
to the flowers. Among the flowering plants were the mosses and

lichens in very subdued colors except for a deep black lichen
which contrasted dramatically with its surroundings.