What do the walruses use their tusks for?

Male walruses show their age and social rank in the herd through the length of their tusks. They use them to form and maintain holes in the ice and in climbing out of water onto ice. They do not need the tusks for hunting because they feed mainly on shells and small animals. Like the tusks of elephants, walrus tusks have been used for tools as well as material for handicrafts. The Eskimos, who have been feeding on walruses for centuries, make artistic carvings from the tusks.