Although Sable Island walruses are now long gone, they were plentiful during the 16th and 17th centuries. A visitor to Sable Island in the late 1800s noted that, at one time, there must have been many walruses on the island because a large number of skulls were cast ashore during heavy gales. Walrus skulls and bones are still occasionally found on the island, but are rare enough to be `treasures'. Complete skulls - intact, with both tusks - are seldom seen; fragments are more common.

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