VIDEO: Walrus vs. Polar Bear

This footage captured the brutal fight between a polar bear and a walrus.

Even though animal fights may seem gruesome to us, they are the norm for them.

They have gotten used to fighting for territory, for supremacy and for food.

Kill or be killed! Eat or be eaten!

After all, it’s survival of the fittest out there!

According to Live Science, walruses are the gentle giants of the Arctic. They are among the largest pinnipeds — fin-footed, semiaquatic marine mammals. However, while they have an intimidating size, and are carnivores, these animals are not aggressive.

Most walruses live in frigid waters near the Arctic Circle. They prefer areas with shallow water so they can easily access food, according to the ADW.

Walruses climb up on ice or beaches to sleep or to rest. They don’t move quickly on land but are swift in the water. Walruses can swim on average around 4.35 mph (7 km/h) and as fast as 21.74 mph (35 km/h), according to the MarineBio Conservation Society.

A group of walruses is called a herd. They gather by the hundreds to sunbathe on the ice. During mating season, walruses amass by the thousands. A herd is usually segregated by gender; females have their own herds, and males have their own herds. The dominant males are chosen by age, body size and tusk length.

Walruses are very fat, but for good reason. Their blubber keeps them warm in frigid waters. These animals can also slow their heart rates, which allows them to live in freezing temperatures, according to National Geographic.

Walruses are carnivores, but they aren’t ferocious hunters. The walrus’ favorite food is shellfish. They dive underwater and use their whiskers to detect the shellfish in the dark waters of the ocean. According to the Smithsonian Institution’s Arctic Study Center, a walrus can eat up to 4,000 clams in one feeding. When food is hard to come by, walruses will also eat the carcasses of dead seals.

In the 1950s, the population of walruses was almost eliminated due to commercial hunting, but the population was brought back to a thriving number in the 1980s.

The IUCN does not have a category or criteria on the conservation status of the walrus. This is because the animal’s population is currently unknown. The organization does say that the population is large, but declining, due to climate change.

Native people of the Arctic hunt walruses for hides, food, ivory and bones, according to the IUCN. These natives are now the only people who are allowed to legally hunt walruses.

Odobenus rosmarus, the walruses’ scientific name, is Latin for “tooth-walking sea-horse,” according to National Geographic.

Walruses have only two natural predators: the orca (or killer whale) and the polar bear. Both are more likely to hunt walrus calves than adults.

Among fin-footed semiaquatic marine mammals (pinnipeds), walrusesare second in size only to elephant seals.

“The Walrus and the Carpenter” is a poem written in 1865 by Lewis Carroll. National Geographic has put together a “GeoStory” with images, maps and information about the poem.