Ever wonder how arctic animals are able to survive such harsh weather conditions? Walruses can withstand freezing temperatures, even as cold as -30°F! Walruses and many other arctic animals have a thick layer of blubber that helps keep them warm. Blubber is like a layer of thick fat under the skin, but it’s different enough from fat that some scientists think it’s a completely different type of tissue, even if there are some similarities. A key difference with blubber is that it’s only found on marine mammals and is there to insulate them against cold and streamline their body for better swimming. It also helps to store energy and increase buoyancy. During the winter, blubber can account for up to 1/3 of a walrus’s total body mass. With this thick layer of blubber, walruses often stay in the cooler water when temperatures rise above around 60°F. A temperature that is pretty chilly for us is warm for a walrus!
Materials: (5) popsicle sticks, brown paint, paintbrush, white and brown construction paper or foam, black marker, glue or glue dots, scissors
Directions:
- Begin by cutting one popsicle stick into halves or thirds. We used jumbo popsicle sticks, but regular size also works well. Line up the other 4 popsicle sticks and glue the cut up stick perpendicular to the back of the other sticks. This will secure the 4 sticks together. This is best done with hot glue or glue dots.
- Flip the popsicle sticks over and paint them brown. You may need multiple coats of paint.
- While the paint dries, draw and cut out eyes and tusks from the white construction paper or foam. Use black marker to draw pupils on the eyes.
- Draw and cut the mouth out of light brown construction paper or foam, and the flippers out of dark brown. Draw a nose and vibrissae spots on the mouth. Glue the tusks to the back of the mouth.
- Once the paint has dried, glue the eyes, mouth, and flippers onto the popsicle sticks.
