Two new young walruses have been introduced to the Vancouver Aquarium, set to meet visitors in the New Year.
The aquarium acquired the two walruses – one-year-old half-siblings named Lakina and Balzak – earlier this month, from Aquarium du Quebec.
The pair were born in spring of 2016, and experts believe they are the first full-term baby walruses to be born while in captivity in Canada and survive.
They share the same father – named Boris – but different mothers.
Transferring Lakina and Balzak to Vancouver will allow Boris to regain access back into the communal pool at the aquarium in Quebec.
“Walruses are also social animals, so after a year and a half, the experts at Aquarium du Quebec believe that Boris would benefit from a return to communal life,” the organization said in a statement.
While walruses – whose scientific name is Odobenus rosmarus and translates to ‘tooth-walking seahorse’ – are not classified as threatened, the Vancouver Aquarium said there is little known about the species due to limited research.
The exact date for when Lakina and Balzak will be making their public debut at the aquarium has not been confirmed. The newly acquired animals come following the death of Chester, a false killer whale, who died in November.