Changes in Arctic ice conditions have raised concerns regarding potential impacts on energy expenditure and food requirements of walruses. Modeling the repercussions of environmental changes requires accurate species‐specific measures of bioenergetic expenditures. This is particularly true for walruses, who have a unique anatomy and foraging ecology from other pinnipeds. This study measured resting metabolic rate (RMR) and subsurface swimming metabolism in two juvenile walruses over a 13‐month period. The walruses had relatively low RMR compared to studies of other young pinnipeds. RMR was greater for the male than the female, as expected given its larger size; the reverse was true on a mass‐specific basis. There was also considerable variability in RMR for each walrus during the year that could not be accounted for by changes in body mass. Metabolism while swimming was about twice RMR, and locomotor costs were higher than generally predicted for other marine mammals. The lower calculated swimming efficiency may reflect the fact that walruses are not “high velocity” pursuit predators. The estimates of metabolic expenditure obtained in this study for young walruses are invaluable for quantifying the energetic consequences of behavioral changes induced by environmental shifts in the wild.

中文翻译：

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海象（Odobenus rosmarus）的休息和游泳代谢率

北极冰层条件的变化引起了人们对海象对能量消耗和食物需求的潜在影响的担忧。要对环境变化的影响进行建模，就需要针对具体物种的生物能支出进行精确测量。对于海象来说尤其如此，因为海象具有独特的解剖结构和其他夹足动物的觅食生态。这项研究在13个月内测量了两只海象的静息代谢率（RMR）和地下游泳代谢。与其他年轻的nip鱼相比，海象的RMR相对较低。正如预期的那样，男性的RMR大于女性。从质量特定的角度来看，情况恰恰相反。在这一年中，每只海象的RMR都有很大的变化，这不能通过体重变化来解释。游泳时的代谢约为RMR的两倍，运动成本高于其他海洋哺乳动物的一般预测。计算得出的较低游泳效率可能反映出海象不是“高速”追逐掠食者的事实。在这项研究中获得的年轻海象的代谢支出的估计对于量化由野生环境变化引起的行为变化的能量后果具有无价的价值。