Walruses in Svalbard, Norway 30 Sep 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 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 3.6 metres long and weigh more than 1,180 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
30 Sep 2023Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA
30 Sep 2025Koala in the Great Otway National Park, Australia

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Where is this hidden waterfall?
Pick your paradise
Creating a better world
25 Dec 2025Merry Christmas!
Boardwalk over Balkan lakes
10 Nov 2024Remembrance Sunday
18 Oct 2025International Archaeology Day
One rare streak
The dog days of summer
1 Aug 2025Edinburgh Festival Fringe
9 Dec 2023Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona, USA
Singing the blues
5 Feb 2025Scottish Blackface sheep, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
20 Oct 2024International Sloth Day
23 Apr 2024Saint Georges Day
A seal of smiles
7 Oct 2025Autumn colours below Mount Sneffels near Ridgway, Colorado, United States
1 Jun 2024Pride Month
31 Jan 2025Happy International Zebra Day!
The fjords of Italy
Park of the Monsters
Come on, guys, this way!
3 Feb 2024Carnival of Venice
16 Sep 2025Nighttime view over the Gulf Coast
6 May 2025An ultralight aircraft flying over the sands of Namibia
22 May 2025Hay Festival
22 Sep 2024Autumn equinox
Black sands in a tropical paradise
25 Jan 2024Burns Night
This blue succulent has spirit