Facts about Narwhal
Ecologically, the narwhal is an important part of Arctic food chains, providing food for polar bears and killer whales (orcas), and preying upon fish, squid, and shrimp.
Occasionally a female narwhal may also produce a tusk, and there is a single recorded case of a female with dual tusks (Carwardine 1995).
The northernmost sightings of narwhal have occurred north of Franz Joseph Land, at about 85° North latitude.
Narwhals have rarely been the target of large-scale commercial hunting, although they have at times been targeted in the Canadian Arctic and Greenland, and they continue to be hunted opportunistically.
At times, male narwhals rub one another's tusks together in an activity called "tusking."
The most conspicuous characteristic of the narwhal is the male's single, extraordinarily long tusk.
Narwhals are quick, active mammals that feed mainly on cod, squid, shrimp and halibut (Jefferson et al.
During the sixteenth century, Queen Elizabeth received a carved and bejeweled narwhal tusk for Ј10,000—the cost of a castle (approximately Ј1.5—2.5 million in 2007, using the retail price index (Officer 2008)).
Narwhals have only two teeth, of which the left incisor in males typically forms the tusk.
Today the narwhal is actively hunted only in Canada and Greenland (Jefferson et al.
One explanation suggested is that the tusk is used to pierce the ice covering the narwhal's Arctic Sea habitat (Broad 2005).
Male narwhals weigh up to 1,600 kilograms (3,500 pounds), and the females weigh around 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds).
The main predators of narwhals include polar bears and orcas (killer whales), and sharks and walruses in Greenland (Jefferson et al.
Some medieval Europeans believed narwhal tusks to be the horns from the legendary unicorn (Daston and Park 2001).
The narwhal was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his Systema Naturae.
Electron micrographs of tusks revealed ten million tiny, deep tubules extending from the tusk's surface, apparently connecting to the narwhal's nervous system (SD 2005).
The northernmost sightings of narwhal have occurred north of Franz Joseph Land, at about 85° North latitude.
Narwhals are rarely seen in Alaska, the far eastern Russian Arctic, or the western Canadian Arctic (Jefferson et al.
One explanation suggested is that the tusk is used to pierce the ice covering the narwhal's Arctic Sea habitat (Broad 2005).
Researchers observed wild narwhals using their tusks to hunt fish, hitting and stunning them to make the fish easier to consume. ... The tusk is actually a tooth that spirals out of the upper jaw on male narwhals, and can extend to about 10 feet (3 meters) long, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada.May 23, 2017
Narwhals live farther north than most marine mammals, well above the Arctic Circle. They are whales of the Monodontidae family. Like all whales, they breathe air. Narwhals spend much of their time under sea ice, a near-permanent feature that far north.
The narwhal (Monodon monoceros), or narwhale, is a medium-sized toothed whale that possesses a large "tusk" from a protruding canine tooth. It lives year-round in the Arctic waters around Greenland, Canada, and Russia. It is one of two living species of whale in the Monodontidae family, along with the beluga whale.
Males reach between 4 and 6 m (13 and 20 ft.) and can weigh 1,600 kg (3,500 lb.). Once they are mature, females will give birth to a calf once every 3 years. The pregnancy lasts for about 14 months, and calves are born in the spring. Like many other whales, narwhals travel in groups.Feb 24, 2017
The narwhal tusk—most commonly found on males—is actually an enlarged tooth with sensory capability and up to 10 million nerve endings inside. Some narwhals have up to two tusks, while others have none. The spiraled tusk juts from the head and can grow as long at 10 feet.
Narwhals are mostly hunted by polar bears and orcas. Native Inuit people are also allowed to hunt this whale legally. In addition, the narwhal's habitat is threatened by the effects of climate change and pollution.