Monson - a small, low gravel Island just North of Spitsbergen is a walrus "haul out" which is monitored & controlled by the Norwegian government. Visitors are not allowed on shore so the ship "hovered" just offshore but within telephoto lens range.
From the boat we could see approximately 60 male walruses (or is it walri?) lounging about. A full grown Atlantic walrus can weigh 4,000 lbs. and have tusks over 2 feet long. No polar bear would ever think of trying to attack a full-grown walrus - one blow from those bi-cuspids would be fatal to the bear. Young walrus could be vulnerable except the remain protected by their mothers for their first two years. The females are not as large as the males nor are their tusks as long but when their size and tusks are combined with the ferosity of a protective mom, the pups are quite safe.
Not long after we arrived, six adolescents entered the water & swam out to the boat. For the next 20 minutes, they swam around the boat taking turns rising up out of the water about 3 feet in order to "check us out". Once they had satisfied our digital cameras & their own curiosity, they returned to shore, probably to report on what they saw. We, in turn, headed south to continue our journey.
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