Shadowing Practice: Top 10 Walrus Facts | Animal Fun Facts | WWF - Learn English Speaking with Video

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With its impressive tusks, wrinkly skin and majestic whiskers, the walrus is one of the Arctic's most iconic species.
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Here are 10 facts everyone should know about these fascinating creatures.
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Fact 1.
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They're very big.
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Male Pacific walrus can reach 3.6 metres long and weigh up to 1.8 tonnes.
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The thick layer of fat under their skin, known as blubber, helps them to stay warm in the harsh conditions of their arctic home.
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Fact 2.
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Walrus are extremely sociable animals.
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When on land or on ice, they gather together in tightly packed groups, which can include hundreds or even thousands of individuals.
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Fact 3.
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They can sing.
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During the breeding season, from December to March, male walrus erupt into song.
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They produce a variety of wonderful vocalisations.
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These can include barks, clicks, grunts and bellows.
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A bout of continuous singing can even last up to two and a half days.
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Fact 4.
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Both male and female walrus have large tusks.
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Walrus use their impressive tusks to keep open breathing holes in the ice, to fight with other walrus and to defend themselves against predators.
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They're also used to help haul themselves out of the sea and onto the ice.
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Walrus tusks are actually modified canines which never stop growing and can reach up to 1 metre in length.
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Fact 5.
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Walrus have very sensitive whiskers.
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Another distinguishing feature of the walrus is the many whiskers they have covering their snouts.
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These whiskers are very sensitive and help them to snuffle around on the sea floor finding food such as mollusks.
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Fact 6.
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They depend on sea ice.
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Walrus generally prefer to haul out on snow covered ice floes rather than on land.
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They use the sea ice as a platform for resting, for breeding, for giving birth and nursing their young, as well as for shelter from rough seas and from predators.
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Fact 7.
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Their skin can change colour.
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A walrus skin which can be around four centimeters thick around their head and their neck is generally a cinnamon brown colour.
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However on a very warm day their skin can change to a rosy pink colour in the sun
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and after a long swim in the icy cold water their skin can go to a cool white.
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Fact 8.
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Mothers are very protective.
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The bond between a walrus mother and its calf is one of the strongest bonds in all mammals.
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The pair can stay together for up to three years.
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Walrus mothers are extremely protective and will pick them up with their flippers
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and dive into the water when they come under threat.
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Fact 9.
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They're affected by noise and disturbances.
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During their mass gatherings, walruses can be easily spooked, such as when they hear noise from human activities.
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This can lead to stampedes as startled walruses head for the water.
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This can be deadly, especially for young calves.
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As shipping, tourism, industry and noise increases in the Arctic walruses are at greater risk of disturbance and also stampedes.
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Fact 10.
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Climate change is their greatest threat.
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With sea ice melting due to climate change more walrus are being forced to rest on land.
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This is bringing them further from their feeding grounds and leading to more life threatening stampedes.
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We need to learn more about walrus to secure their future in the wild but accessing remote locations is challenging and costly.
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We are working on a citizen science project that will use images from satellites to monitor walrus populations across the arctic.
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For the first time ever we're aiming to do it at a global scale for the whole walrus population.
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This will help scientists to better understand how walrus are responding to declining sea ice and how best to protect them.
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We hope you enjoyed this video about walrus.
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Let us know in the comments which other animals you'd like to hear facts about
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and don't forget to subscribe to our channel.

Speaking Goals for This Clip

This video is ideal for practicing descriptive language and storytelling fluency. You’ll learn to explain facts clearly, use specific vocabulary for animal features and behaviors, and maintain a steady pace while sharing information. It’s a great way to build confidence in talking about nature and science, a common topic in daily conversations and exams.

Phrase Bank

  • "impressive tusks, wrinkly skin and majestic whiskers"
  • "thick layer of fat under their skin, known as blubber"
  • "gather together in tightly packed groups"
  • "produce a variety of wonderful vocalisations"
  • "modified canines which never stop growing"
  • "sensitive whiskers to snuffle around on the sea floor"
  • "depend on sea ice for resting, breeding, and nursing"
  • "skin can change colour from cinnamon brown to rosy pink"
  • "strongest bonds in all mammals"
  • "greatest threat due to climate change"

Fix Your Weak Spots

This clip helps improve pronunciation of multisyllabic words like "vocalisations," "mollusks," and "disturbances." Pay attention to stress: "ARCTic," "soCIable," "predaTORS." The rhythm of listing facts (e.g., "Fact 1. They're very big.") teaches you to pause naturally between ideas. For shadowing practice, mimic the speaker’s calm, informative tone—this will help you sound more authoritative in your own speech. Tools like shadowspeaks or a shadow speak platform can enhance this practice by letting you compare your delivery to the original. Focus on clarity when saying long phrases, and use the video to master the flow of explaining complex ideas, like how walruses use tusks for multiple purposes. With consistent practice, you’ll notice your English pronunciation and fluency improve, making it easier to share interesting facts in any conversation.

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?

Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.