Walrus vs Seal

Walruses and seals are both pinnipeds, the flippered marine mammals, but there is only one living walrus species. In this comparison, seal means a true seal, such as a harbor seal. Sea lions and fur seals are a third group, with visible ear flaps and a more upright walk on land.

Tusks are the giveaway. Walrus tusks are long upper canine teeth, used to haul out onto ice and to display. Size helps too, since walruses are among the largest pinnipeds. Movement settles close calls: walruses can turn their hind flippers under them to walk, and true seals cannot, so they hump along on their bellies.

Walrus vs Seal side by side

Last verified October 2026. Typical values; individual animals, products and local prices vary.

When you are looking at which

Walrus

• You can see two long ivory tusks hanging down from the upper lip.
• The animal is huge, with a bulky body, and hauled out on Arctic sea ice or a crowded beach.
• On land, it lifts its body on its flippers and walks rather than just humping along.
• It is foraging for clams along the seafloor, or has just surfaced with some.

Seal (true seal)

• There are no tusks, and the face is dog-like with a short snout.
• On land, it moves by humping and flopping on its belly like a caterpillar.
• The animal is 5 to 6 feet long with a spotted coat, typical of a harbor seal.
• You see only small ear openings and no external ear flaps.

How this works

The quiz covers five cues: tusks, movement on land, size, coat and face, and location. Each answer scores for walrus or seal, and the side with more answers decides the result. A photo from a boat or beach often shows tusks clearly, and tusks alone settle the question.

Seal here means true seals such as the harbor seal. Sea lions are different again. Elephant seals are huge, and several seals share polar waters with walruses, so tusks and movement carry more weight than size or place. Skip the size and place questions if you have nothing to compare with, since those two overlap the most.

Where these numbers come from

The figures and defaults on this page are based on:

• NOAA Ocean Today: Animals of the Ice, Walruses, Walrus size, tusk length, blubber, flippers and sea ice habitat. (checked October 2026)
• Smithsonian Ocean: Pinnipeds, Seals, Sea Lions and Walruses, Tusks, how each moves on land, diet and species counts. (checked October 2026)
• NOAA Fisheries: Seals and Sea Lions, True seals lack ear flaps and flop along on their bellies. (checked October 2026)
• NOAA Fisheries: Harbor Seal, Harbor seal size, spotted fur, dog-like snout and habitat. (checked October 2026)

Field-identification guide. Compares walruses with true seals, and sea lions and fur seals differ.