Ray Pennell, age 8, of Barre, Vt., for his question:

HOW LARGE IS THE WALRUS?

Walrus is the common name for large marine mammals. Two subspecies of the walrus exist: The Atlantic walrus and the Pacific walrus. Both inhabit the Arctic regions at the edge of the polar ice, along the northeastern coast of Siberia, the northwestern coast of Alaska, and in Greenland and the Ellesmere Islands.

Male walruses, which are larger than the females, average about 1U0 feet in length and weigh more than 2,000 pounds.

Both the male and female have a massive body with thick, wrinkled, nearly hairless skin. Both have a relatively small head with no external ears, a broad, bristled muzzle and enormously elongated upper canine teeth forming heavy tusks.

The tusks, about three feet long in some males, are used to rake the ocean bottom for mollusks and shellfish, which are the principal food of the walrus. They are also used as weapons in fighting and as a hooks 1n climbing on the ice.

The Pacific walrus differs from the Atlantic subspecies in that its nostrils are more laterally located and are not visible when the animal is viewed from the front.

Walruses are highly social animals and congregate in herds of as many as 100.