Narwhals

Narwhals Latest News

Scientists recently discovered that a narwhal’s uniquely straight tusk grows strong because opposing twists in its inner and outer collagen fibril layers create internal tension that keeps it straight.

About Narwhal

• It is a medium-sized toothed whale that belongs to the family Monodontidae. 
• The only other member of this family is the beluga whale.  
• Scientific Name: Monodon monoceros 

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Narwhal Habitat and Distribution

• They live in the Arctic Ocean, mostly in the Atlantic sector, but they have also been recorded in the Pacific sector. 
• Their largest numbers live around Canada, Greenland, and eastern Russia. 
• They usually migrate from under the ice in the winter to inshore waters in the spring and coastal waters in the summer.

Narwhal Features

• It is best known for its tusk—a long, spiraled tooth that usually only the males develop. (Females occasionally do.) 
  • Recent observations suggest that the males use their tusks to hunt fish and to detect the level of salt in the waters through which they swim. 
  • The tusk can grow to 3 meters long and weigh more than 10 kilograms. 
  • In mediaeval times, narwhals were hunted for their tusks, and people would sell them as unicorn horns—earning narwhals the nickname ‘unicorn of the sea’. 
• Narwhals have stout, torpedo-shaped bodies with a low dorsal ridge in place of a dorsal fin and a concave-shaped tail fin. 
• Like belugas, narwhals have short paddle-shaped front flippers, but they lack their extremely flexible neck and well-defined beak.  
• Adult narwhals are light grey with numerous irregular black spots; the spots are more numerous on the back and fewer on the belly.  
• Narwhals tend to travel in groups of 15 to 20, though larger gatherings of hundreds or even thousands of individuals have been observed.
• They are one of the deepest diving whales in the world and can hold their breath for 25-30 minutes at a time.
• Narwhals feed on fish, squid, and shrimp.  
• They use sound to communicate with each other, as well as to navigate their surroundings, hunt, and see. 

Narwhal Conservation Status

It is classified as ‘Least Concern‘ under the IUCN Red List.

News: TH