Narwhals

The narwhal is a medium-sized Arctic whale best known for the male's long, spiraled tusk, an elongated canine tooth that inspired centuries of unicorn legend.

Classification

Description

Narwhals have mottled gray-brown bodies, no dorsal fin, and, in most males, a single long spiraled tusk projecting from the upper lip.

The tusk

A narwhal's tusk is actually an elongated left canine tooth that can grow up to 10 feet long. Scientists believe it may function as a sensory organ, detecting changes in water salinity and temperature, in addition to playing a role in dominance displays between males.

Size

Narwhals measure 13 to 20 feet in body length, not counting the tusk, and weigh between 0.8 and 1.6 tons.

Habitat

Narwhals live year-round in the Arctic waters of Canada, Greenland, and Russia, among the northernmost-living of all whale species, closely tied to sea ice.

Diet

Narwhals feed on Arctic cod, squid, and shrimp, often diving over 1,000 feet beneath sea ice in search of prey.

Social structure

Narwhals typically travel in pods of 15 to 20, sometimes gathering in the hundreds to thousands during seasonal migration.