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:

Jun 1, 2026Palermo, Sicily, Italy
An island crossroad of culture
Mar 3, 2026Celebrating Holi
Jul 11, 2025World Population Day
Saving and celebrating honey bees
Feb 14, 2026Happy Valentines Day!
Oct 13, 2024Royal Alcázar of Seville, Spain
Oct 3, 2023Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Islands, Australia
Nov 1, 2025Bison grazingin Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States
Jun 11, 2024A group of Southern gemsbok in the savannah, Botswana
Apr 10, 2025Siblings Day
Love is in the snow
Dec 6, 2025Everglades National Park, Florida, United States
Jan 7, 2026Old Rock Day
Jan 9, 2025Sossusvlei sand dunes, Namib desert, Namibia
Aug 13, 2025Corona Arch near Moab, Utah, United States
Jun 6, 2026Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi, United States
Nov 20, 2025Mother manatee and calf, Crystal River, Florida, United States
Mar 11, 2026Peach trees in Cieza, Murcia, Spain
Mar 10, 2025Lion, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda
Aug 24, 2026Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, United States
Mar 28, 2025Black-naped monarch
Mar 29, 2024South Stack Lighthouse, Holyhead, Wales, UK
Sept 2, 2026Beach huts, Southwold, Suffolk Heritage Coast, England
Sep 21, 2023International Day of Peace
Jan 13, 2024Road to Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA
Dec 11, 2024International Mountain Day
Sep 13, 2024Point Reyes National Seashore, California, USA
Oct 3, 2024Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
Jun 12, 2025Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Texas, United States