Atlantic walrus (O. r. rosmarus)
wild-caught in approximately 1854
unknown after approximately 1854
Ancestors and Descendants
birth ~1854 in Greenland
transfer ~1854 to Boston, Massachusetts
unknown ~1854 at Boston, Massachusetts
No images available at this time.
Notes and Information
The images found here have all been gathered either from this facility's official resources or news articles.
This walrus was the first of its species to be imported into the United States and placed on public display.
My sole source material regarding this individual was dated circa 1854; this leads to some degree of uncertainty regarding where, exactly, this animal was exhibited. If the true date of the source is in 1838 or earlier, this walrus would have been exhibited at the New-England Museum -- if beyond that point, particularly in 1840 or later, the walrus would have been exhibited at Barrington's New Museum which operated in the same building on 76 Court Street after the aforementioned facility closed following a fire. I have no information regarding how long the Barrington facility remained in operation.
This walrus was acquired by a Mr. H. Harvey in Greenland, and exhibited at Boston in 200 gallons of water. This individual would enter and exhibit the water on command, and was described as being as "tame as a kitten, and as beautiful as a Gold or Silver fish".
circa 1854. Hooton's Press. Go and See the Real Walrus. Retrieved from the Harvard Library.