What is the scientific name for the modern walrus?
Answer
*Odobenus rosmarus*
The modern walrus is specifically identified by the binomial nomenclature *Odobenus rosmarus*. This name designates the sole surviving species within the ancient family Odobenidae. This species represents the culmination of a long evolutionary path marked by specialization for life in frigid, ice-associated environments. While its evolutionary relatives, such as *Pontolis magnus*, populated warmer seas millions of years ago, *Odobenus rosmarus* is the distinct form that survived the environmental bottlenecks leading up to the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs, specializing in benthic foraging under stable sea ice.
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What is the scientific name for the modern walrus?Which unique family is the modern walrus the sole survivor of?Where did fossil evidence show ancient walrus relatives flourishing during the Miocene?What material forms the external surface of walrus tusks, which lack enamel?How is the evolution of walrus tusks classified in relation to ancestral pinniped traits?Which fossil example is described as an ancient walrus cousin lacking tusks?What locomotion feature do walruses share structurally with sea lions (Otariidae)?Approximately how long ago did the earliest true pinnipeds begin their transition to sea life?What specialized structure does the modern *Odobenus rosmarus* use to locate food on the seafloor?What required significant structural remodeling in the skull to anchor walrus tusks?