Das Wallross. Trichechus rosmarus. Morse cheval-marin.

Title

Das Wallross. Trichechus rosmarus. Morse cheval-marin.

Description

Two illustrations on one sheet: a walrus at the top and, below it, a female walrus with her calf by her side. Title in German, Latin and French.

ca. 1840

Artist

Brodtmann (1787-1862)

Karl Joseph-Ioseph Brodtmann was an accomplished Swiss artist and lithographer, as well as a printmaker, publisher and bookseller who worked in Zurich and Schaffhausen. Brodtmann's natural history lithographs include Heinrich Rudolf Schinz's works on reptiles and birds, published in the early 1830s. Brodtmann also produced natural history lithographs, as Naturhistorische Bilder Gallerie aus dem Thierreiche.

Historical Description

The walrus is the largest living species of seal and inhabits the Arctic coastal waters of the Arctic Ocean. It is easily recognized by its long tusks, thick whiskers, and massive body, which can grow up to 4 meters (13 feet) in length and weigh more than 1,500 kilograms (3,300 pounds). Walruses are highly social animals that live in groups and spend much of their time resting on sea ice or along Arctic coastlines. They feed mainly on clams, snails, and other bottom-dwelling invertebrates, which they locate on the seafloor using their highly sensitive whiskers. Their tusks are used not only for defense but also to pull themselves onto the ice and to establish social rank within the group.