Days after the UK mourned the departure of its celebrity Atlantic walrus, nicknamed Thor, they found new cause to celebrate. He was spotted on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, safe and sound—and happily sunning himself on southern the coast of Iceland.
The walrus, who is estimated to be 3 to 5 years old, became a local news sensation around Great Britain when he first showed up in the coastal town of Scarborough, Yorkshire, on New Year’s Eve. It was believed to be the first time a walrus has ever been spotted in Yorkshire. (While seals frequently turn up in coastal England, visiting walruses are quite rare.) Crowds of people turned up to see him and ultimately nicknamed him Thor. The town even canceled its New Year’s fireworks display to avoid disturbing the walrus.
Thor was reportedly seen in Breiðdalsvík, east Iceland, late last week. The British Divers Marine Life Rescue confirmed to the BBC that his markings were consistent Thor’s, which they knew well from the walrus’s travels around England. The organization said they were “delighted” to learn of his arrival in Iceland.
The walrus may have originally traveled from the Canadian Arctic, the Iceland Review reports. Usually, when walruses visit Iceland, they come from Greenland or Svalbard, Norway. The trip from Yorkshire is about 850 miles, most of which is open-ocean swimming. Naturally, Thor slept off his journey by sunning himself on the village dock all day.
If you happen to be lucky enough to spot Thor, be sure to keep your distance and let him have his space. Aside from being the right thing to do, he likely weighs as much as 1,600 lbs, so you definitely don’t want to get on his bad side.
