About 20,000 years ago, most of Canada was covered by glacier ice, and sea-ice extended much further south. During this time walruses lived in more southerly areas of the Atlantic - some as far south as Edisto Island, South Carolina. Then, as the climate warmed and sea-ice withdrew during the end of the last glaciation, walrus populations moved northward. By about 9,500 years ago, walruses had spread into the Canadian Arctic Islands.

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