FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE PATTERNS AND FETAL GROWTH OF ATLANTIC WALRUSES (ODOBENUS ROSMARUS ROSMARUS) IN FOXE BASIN, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, CANADA

We examined the reproductive tracts of 79 female Arlantic walruses (Odohenus rosmarus rosmarus) caught in July and August by Inuit hunters in northern Foxe Basin, NWT, Canada. We found no evidence of past or present ovulation in animals less than 5 yr old, but the poor representation of juvenile and adolescent animals precluded statistical analysis of the average age of maturity. The ovulation frequency of 64 mature females (0.52) indicated biennial ovulation, while the pregnancy rate (0.33) and birth rate (0.30) suggested that females gave birth once every three years. The sex ratio of 17 fetuses was not significantly different from 1:1. Fetuses increased 2.9 mm d‐1 in crown‐rump length and 0.12 g1/3 d‐1 in mass over the range of collection dates. Based on the inverse regressions of fetal growth, implantation occurred in late June early July.