The walruses would normally gather on floating sea ice, but as that ice disappears they are forced to swim longer distances in order to rest on land.
A photo taken on Sept. 2 during a scientific survey shows thousands of walruses on a beach in Alaska.
Karen Vale / NOAA, BOEM
The walruses have been gathering, or "hauling out," near Point Lay, a small village on Alaska's northern coast about eight hours by plane from Anchorage. Andrea Medeiros, a spokesperson for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, told BuzzFeed News that observers found about 35,000 walruses on Sept. 2 during an aerial survey.
Authorities flew back over the beach Thursday and estimated there were between 15,000 and 20,000 walruses, though Medeiros said the estimates were rough because they were made from an airplane. The numbers also rise and fall as the animals come and go for feeding.
Images of the walruses began to circulate after photographer Gary Braasch flew over the beach on Aug. 23. Braasch told BuzzFeed News he was watching government maps of tagged walruses and noticed what appeared to be a gathering near Point Lay. He flew to the area and, using a telephoto lens, took several pictures of the animals.
"It was amazing to see," Braasch said. "I'd never seen it before."
Gary Braasch/Corbis
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