Walruses deposit most of their body fat into a thick layer of blubber – a layer of fat reinforced by fibrous connective tissue that lies just below the skin.

The blubber layer insulates the walrus and streamlines its body. It also functions as an energy reserve.

Using rubber gloves, our hands, and ice water, we learned about how our marine friends stay warm in their cold environments! We first dipped our hands into icy water, and talked about words associated with the cold, such as ice, chilly, frozen, icy, and snow!

We then talked about what blubber was, and compared it to a thick rubber glove. After that, we put on a rubber glove and dipped our hands again into the water.

Each child was then asked whether or not their hand felt warmer or colder with the glove on. Lastly, we talked about other uses for blubber and why some animals need to protect themselves from the cold.

This activity allowed your adventurer to explore the concept of animal adaptations through investigation and application.