A walrus has four limbs, so it effectively has four “legs” when it is on land.

Quick answer

  • Walruses are mammals with four limb-like flippers.
  • On land, they can rotate their hind flippers forward and walk on all fours, just like having four legs.
  • In the water those same limbs act as flippers for swimming rather than walking.

Why people get confused

People sometimes think walruses have fewer “legs” because:

  • Their limbs are broad, flat flippers instead of clearly separated legs and feet.
  • The back pair often looks like a single tail-like structure when they are swimming or lying down.

So anatomically they have four limbs, but adapted as flippers rather than classic land-animal legs.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.