Newfoundland waters host rare, photogenic visitor

Tuesday, May 2, 2017, 5:34 PM - Wildlife watchers on Newfoundland's Northern Peninsula got a rare toothy treat on Monday.

In what is believed to be the first-such sighting in decades in the area, a walrus was spotted bobbing off the coast of White Cape Harbour on Monday evening.

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Joan Blake, one of those lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the massive animal, told VOCM she couldn't believe the size of the creature, saying he was the size of a moose. The walrus didn't seem concerned by the crowd he was attracting, however; Blake said the animal spent much of his time on the ice, basking in the sun.

Ruby Taylor Peyton, another who took in the rare sight, told CBC News she'd never seen a walrus in the area before. "Every now and then he'd poke up and just lie back down again," Taylor Peyton said.

Viewers were able to edge out onto the sea ice to get some decent shots of the walrus as he bobbed around in the harbour.

Sea ice is unusually thick for this time of year off the shores of Newfoundland; a special marine ice warning is still in effect from the Canadian Ice Service off the coast of the Northern Peninsula. As of last week, a record 673 icebergs had been counted off of Newfoundland already this year - a number that's more typical for the north Atlantic shipping lanes in late summer.

The Canadian Encyclopedia gives the southern limits of the Atlantic walrus as James Bay and the Labrador coast, after overhunting drove them out of the Maritimes in the 18th century. They also state, however, that the walrus is often associated with the edges of Arctic sea ice.

Sources: CBC News | Facebook | VOCM | City News | Canadian Ice Service | Canadian Encyclopedia |

Watch below: 35,000 walruses swarming Alaskan shores in 2011