Walruses interact with each other on the shores of the Laptev Sea
Traditionally much of what we know about nature and wildlife came from classic natural history studies based on direct observation. Want to know walrus? Go live near or among them across seasons and for several years.
This is exactly what two of our expedition members, Misha and Anatoly, did for many years on Wrangell Island, far to the east of our current location. Spending countless hours observing, counting, and learning the behavior of another species.
Tom and I, while also trained observers, came from a different background – one that relies more on modern tools and technology. Replacing long field season with much shorter stints and using tools like satellite telemetry and genetics to untangle the many questions we have about how species live today and how they evolved over time. Both approaches are necessary to better understand the species we share the planet with and the broader ecosystems that support us all. Each by itself is limited in what questions it can answer.
On this expedition, we rely on both approaches, observational and analytical:
The genetic samples will let us know how the Laptev walrus are related to their relatives around the Arctic and finally answer the question of whether these are a distinct group, or subspecies, of walrus. The genetic samples will be sent to labs in Russia and an international partner for analysis and we should have new information by year-end.