Walruses in Svalbard, Norway Sep 30, 2024

Walruses in Svalbard, Norway

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 off 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 3-metres long and weigh more than 1,179 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

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jan 9, 2026Muir Woods National Monument, California, United States
Stealthy pollinators
Apr 23, 2024World Book Day
May 18, 2026International Museum Day
May 18, 2025International Museum Day
Dec 20, 2025Christmas star lanterns, Germany
Mar 30, 2024Brown-throated three-toed sloth
Ive got a lot of problems with you penguins!
Spanning the soft sunlight
May 4, 2026Star Wars Day
Back to the future
Apr 18, 2024International Day for Monuments and Sites
Oct 22, 2025Belogradchik Rocks, Bulgaria
Jan 14, 2024Whooper swans
Jun 21, 2026International Day of Yoga
Aug 17, 2025Lyngvig Lighthouse, Hvide Sande, Denmark
Urban planning never stops
Jun 28, 2026Saguaro cacti, Windgate Pass, Arizona, United States
May 13, 2024Fish River Canyon, Namibia
The lungs of Earth
Jan 25, 2024Agra Fort, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
The ancient ruins of Nalanda
Feb 7, 2025Blue hour in Trondheim, Norway
Mar 28, 2024Cherry blossoms in Shanghai, China
Jun 10, 2026Hnausapollur crater lake, Fjallabak Nature Reserve, Iceland
The gateway to jungle
Where we go to play
Oct 25, 2024Golden Temple, Amritsar
Apr 30, 2025International Jazz Day
Jul 14, 2024Shark Awareness Day