Walruses in Svalbard, Norway Sep. 30, 2024

What"s the perfect thing to do under the midnight sun? If you"re a walrus like the ones in today"s image, the answer might be taking a quick dip with your crew, chowing down on clams and mussels and then sunbathing on a beach or ice floe. Welcome to Svalbard, an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean halfway between Norway and the North Pole. Photographed in the waters of Spitsbergen, the largest of the archipelago"s nine islands, these aquatic mammals are year-round residents that are often found in male or female herds. Male walruses can be almost 4 metres long and weigh more than 1,200 kilograms, and during mating season, they use this girth to fight among themselves for dominance over groups of females, called harems.

© AWL Images/DanitaDelimont

palette

Today in History

Giants of the Southern Ocean
Sep. 30, 2023Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Sep. 30, 2025Koala in the Great Otway National Park, Australia
Sep 30, 2026Male bearded reedling, Norfolk, England

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Happy Canada Day!
Aug. 27, 2023Jeju Island, South Korea
Feb. 12, 2024Volcán Alcedo giant tortoise, Isabela Island
May 29, 20261953 Mount Everest Expedition
Apr. 12, 2024Arches National Park, Utah, USA
Mar. 27, 2025World Theatre Day
Jun. 13, 2024Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Blood moon
Widespread and long-eared
A cantilevered window to the past
This magical beach is worth the hike
Dec. 27, 2025Plate ice along Lake Superior, Grand Marais, Minnesota, United States
Feb. 16, 2026Banff, Alberta
Apr. 16, 2025Anniversary of Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah, United States
Dec. 26, 2023Happy Boxing Day!
May 7, 2025Dunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Jun. 25, 2025Glastonbury Festival begins
Jan. 3, 2024J.R.R. Tolkien Day
Winter at Valley Forge
Sep. 2, 2024Milky Way over the Elbow River in southern Alberta
Jan. 2, 2025Ardez village, Graubunden, Switzerland
Apr. 19, 2025Zion National Park, Utah, United States
Jun. 5, 2024World Environment Day
May 27, 2026World Otter Day
Jewel of the Adriatic
Apr. 11, 2026Sakura Days Japan Fair
This blue succulent is as good as gold here
Oct. 5, 2025World Teachers Day
Mar. 24, 2025African elephants in Namibia
Oct. 17, 2025Jasper Dark Sky Festival