Some lucky passers-by were treated to the extraordinary sight of an Arctic walrus on rocks at Valentia Island in Co Kerry yesterday, Sunday 14 March.
Video of the marine wildlife — which resembles a large seal but for its obvious tusks — shows it in what appears to be an exhausted state, far from its usual haunts across the North Atlantic in Greenland, as RTÉ News reports.
It’s not the first time an Arctic walrus has been spotted in Irish waters.
A walrus was spotted ashore at Knightstown, Valentia Island, Co. Kerry today. This Artctic species is an infrequent visitor to Irish waters, with 11 records in our database, dating back to 1897. #ExploreYourShoreIRL at https://t.co/kRStl5Mk06 pic.twitter.com/xseQaZUC3a
— Biodiversity Ireland (@BioDataCentre) March 14, 2021
But the National Biodiversity Data Centre says there have been only 11 confirmed records in its database since 1897.
A walrus in west Cork in 1930... and one that was shot out near Dursey Island. https://t.co/wgtqYtGk7n
— Seán Mac an tSíthigh (@Buailtin) March 14, 2021