Walrus emits excellent noises on command (video)

[Video Link]

What's 3,400 lbs and makes fart-noise vocalizations when asked? E.T., a 30-year-old Pacific walrus at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, WA, who is one of only 17 walruses in U.S. zoos and aquariums. He came to the Tacoma facility as an orphan from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and is named "for his wrinkled resemblance to alien in the popular 1982 movie E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial."

I'd sure like to hear his rendition of "Trololo." [EDIT] OK. Here we go.

The zoo has a pretty great YouTube channel with more videos like this.

(thanks, @joely!)

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

MORE: animals • bukkit • cute • Funny • oceanography • video • walrus

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Hakuin

you know, this is the kind of thing that makes it hard to kill and eat walruses.
- Gilbert Wham
  
  A friend of mine, whom I love like a brother, makes noises like this in his sleep; at which point, if I am in the vicinity, I hate him with the fury of a Thousand Suns. Dear God, the resemblance is uncanny…
  - http://www.gyrofrog.com/ Gyrofrog
    
    Camels can make some similar noises. When I was out in the desert, I had food poisoning, and as a result I made camel noises, too. Fortunately, if I woke anyone, they probably just figured it was those damn camels.
- http://profile.yahoo.com/FRJD66AT6LQ6CZZ46XJO43A4FM Artor
  
  That, and the fact that they’re 500 lbs and live on arctic pack ice. I wouldn’t even want to try to kill & eat a walrus!
  - devinderry
    
    500lbs my ass, this fella is 3,400lbs! It is absolute magic to watch the grace this behemoth has in the water. http://www.flickr.com/photos/72149772@N00/6949906199/in/set-72157629348598199
Mitchell Glaser

It’s nice to see Newt Gingrich mellowing a little as he grows older.
- http://twitter.com/random_tangent Drew Coombs
  
  I was going to make this joke, but about Jamie Hyneman.
  - http://www.xeni.net/ Xeni Jardin
    
    diabeetus
    - http://www.gyrofrog.com/ Gyrofrog
      
      Hochheilige scheisse, that was funny
- Bruce Keeler
  
  No no, it’s John Bolton
  - johnnylloydrollins
    
    cant be unseen. thanks a lot
  - Sparg
    
    Looks rather like a poker buddy of mine. He just needs some specs.
http://twitter.com/Bashtarle Bashtarle

Admittedly I am aware of Walruses, know about what they look like and all….
O.o What is wrong with eyes…… or do they always look like that?

Gave me Total Recall flashbacks.
- Jerril
  
  The other videos of that walrus have the same… charming look to them. But most of the others I’m seeing on Google Image Search seem to have perfectly functional eyelids.
  - Jerril
    
    I take it back. Walruses can all do that – protrude them. AND retract them. and some other freaky stuff with their eyes as well. KEYHOLE PUPILS.
    http://www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org/share/AquaticMammalsIssueArchives/1993/Aquatic_Mammals_19_2/19-02_Kastelein.pdf
  - Jerril
    
    In fact, apparently the protruding is to get depth perception. So he’s doing that to get a target lock on someone.
    
    How. Charming.
RKTR ♫soundcloud.com/rktr

Starts ripping yt audio to make a dubstep-remix out of this
- Chuck
  
  I was thinking someone could hire the walrus to do sound effects for movies. A musical version of this would be excellent.
  - OldBrownSquirrel
    
    Chewbacca’s vocalizations included some walrus samples in the mix.
http://constipanimated.tumblr.com/ Greg

But when a walrus dry heaves, it sounds uncannily like Delibes’ Flower Duet.
sic transit gloria C.F.A.

Yes, but can he say “I has a bukkit”?
http://www.paradea.org/notes/ Teirhan

OK, I’m going to have nightmares about those eyes now.
http://www.facebook.com/RILEYRILEYRILEY Riley Rileyy

Oh man, what’s it gonna take to get this dude to join my grindcore band?
- malindrome
  
  How many buckets of fish have you got?
vrplumber

Thus we enter the era of walrus dubstep, or wubstep as it were.
http://www.geekforce.com Hugh Johnson

Proof that if it has a brain and a stomach, it can be trained.
- Mighty Blowhole
  
  You clearly haven’t met my son… (though he DOES sound kinda like that when he snores).
  - http://mjfgates.myopenid.com/ mjfgates
    
    You just need to keep more whole fish handy.
Donald Petersen

Good Christ, I’ve been in that particular men’s room in a truck stop near Grapevine.
http://twitter.com/Epers Eddie Perkins

Clearly I’m in the wrong line of work. I like fish, can do all that and my eyes aren’t freaky.
MonkeyBoy

Eh, my son could do that on command at about age 9 months before he used words, though his sound were things like doggy, kitty, lawnmower, and fire truck. However he couldn’t whistle at all.
kP

Ev-rey day I’m shu-ffl-in!
Hakuin

yasss
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmhc0D9IXp8
- http://www.gyrofrog.com/ Gyrofrog
  
  Fleischer Bros., no?
  
  You know, of course, that I will have bad dreams about the Tweedles tonight…
jsandin

Life is worth living.
penguinchris

Google has an agreeable opinion regarding shows like “Britain’s Got Talent”
http://www.gyrofrog.com/ Gyrofrog

Where’s his tusks? Must’ve been in Alabama where the Tuscaloosa
snagglepuss

Foley artists around the world are scrambling to download right about now…
http://twitter.com/coherent_light Scott Elyard

I really, really, miss Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, and I also really miss E.T. Such a great walrus.

Sigh. Someday I’ll go back.