Pelagiarctos

Pelagiarctos is a genus of walrus that lived in the Miocene Epoch of California.

Description
Fossils of Pelagiarctos are rare and grossly incomplete, but skull material indicates that it measured approximately 2.5 to 3 meters long and weighed about 350 kilograms. Its cheek teeth resemble those of several modern terrestrial carnivores, which indicates that it probably had a large bite force.

Classification
Originally, Pelagiarctos was described as a seal, but it is now believed to be a type of walrus.

History
Pelagiarctos was described in 1988 by Lawrence Barnes from the Sharktooth Hill Bonebed in Kern County, California. The genus was reevaluated in 2013 by Robert Boessenecker and Morgan Churchill.

Diet
At first, Pelagiarctos was imagined as a "killer walrus", a carnivore feeding on large aquatic animals and even other pinnipeds. However, recent analysis indicates that it actually fed on smaller animals like fish, with only the occasional larger meal.

Distribution
Only a handful of fossils of Pelagiarctos have ever been found, and only in one place. It is possible that the walrus may have migrated, explaining its rarity.