Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea

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Morell V (30 January 2012). "Killer whale menu finally revealed". Science . Retrieved 24 June 2015.

Narwhal’ translates from ancient Norse as ‘corpse-like whale’. They were given this name because their grey mottled bodies resembled the corpses of drowned sailors. But similar to all other Arctic wildlife, narwhals are likely to struggle in the face of climate change. Record warm temperatures in the Arctic have caused sea ice to disappear at an alarming rate.Recent drone footage has shed some light on the feeding practices of male narwhals. They were observed using their tusk to tap fish and stun them - similar to how killer whales corral fish and then stun them by slapping them with their tails. a b c Evans Ogden, Lesley (6 January 2016). "Elusive narwhal babies spotted gathering at Canadian nursery". New Scientist . Retrieved 6 September 2016. The narwhal was one of two possible explanations offered by Professor Pierre Aronnax in regards to the naval phenomena damaging ships in Jules Verne's 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea; Aronnax comes to this conclusion by presuming that "we do know all the living species"; he was unwilling to speculate wildly to the American press. Verne writes: "The common narwhal or sea unicorn often attains a length of 18.3m (60ft)." For the narwhal to have caused the damage to the various vessels, Aronnax stated that its size and strength would have to increase by five or ten times; Laidre, K. L.; Heide-Jørgensen, M. P. (2005). "Arctic sea ice trends and narwhal vulnerability" (PDF). Biological Conservation. 121 (2005): 509–517. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2004.06.003. ISSN 0006-3207. Narwhals aren’t mythical creatures who can rip apart ships with their long teeth, and their tusks don’t have miraculous healing abilities. However, they do hold a magical place throughout history. For example, the Inuit call them “Qilalugaq Qernartaq,” meaning “the one that points to the sky.”

Lesage, V.; Barrette, C.; Kingsley, M.C.S; Sjare, B. (1999). "The effect of vessel noise on the vocal behavior of belugas in the St. Lawrence River estuary, Canada". Marine Mammal Science. 15: 65–84. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-7692.1999.tb00782.x. a b c d e f g Heide-Jørgensen, M. P. & Laidre, K. L. (2006). Greenland's Winter Whales: The beluga, the narwhal and the bowhead whale. Ilinniusiorfik Undervisningsmiddelforlag, Nuuk, Greenland. ISBN 978-87-7975-299-3. Like some whale species that migrate, narwhals live their entire lives in the Arctic Ocean. Narwhals spend up to five months under the ice in Baffin Bay-Davis Strait. 7. How Long is The Narwhal Tusk? Like polar bears, narwhals depend on sea ice and are directly impacted by rapid climate change –studies have shown that they are one of the species most vulnerable to the ecological effects of climate change because of increased predation by killer whales, changes to their prey base, and likely increased risks of entrapment in unpredictable ice conditions. Verne, J. (1870). Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (PDF). Pierre-Jules Hetzel. p.10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2015 . Retrieved 22 March 2014.

10. Affected by climate change

Narwhals live in the Arctic Ocean and around the coastlines of Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). They can be found in the coastal areas during the summer and farther out at sea during the winter. Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. Those short ridges make narwhals especially tough to spot, according to Laidre. When she goes looking for narwhals, the best days are cold, clear and still. But a dark, silvery or white-splotched whale with no dorsal fin surfacing gently in a field of dark water and white ice is easy to overlook, she said. Even their breath can be hard to spot: while many whales surface with a burst of condensing air that looks like a sudden, tall cloud, narwhals release a subtle puff of air. Why do narwhals have tusks?

Narwhals are also hunted for food by small Inuit communities in northern Canada and Greenland. In Greenland, narwhal skin and blubber are considered a delicacy and are often served raw and diced in a dish called mattak.Westbury, Michael V.; Petersen, Bent; Garde, Eva; Heide-Jørgensen, Mads Peter; Lorenzen, Eline D. (31 May 2019). "Narwhal Genome Reveals Long-Term Low Genetic Diversity despite Current Large Abundance Size". iScience. 15: 592–599. Bibcode: 2019iSci...15..592W. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.03.023. ISSN 2589-0042. PMC 6546971. PMID 31054839.

Narwhals are often called the unicorns of the sea. The long tusk of the male narwhal sets these whales apart, but it’s not the only thing that makes Monodon monoceros among the most intriguing and mysterious marine mammals. But beyond the subsistence relationship, communities considered narwhals to be of cultural importance too. Some Inuit myths feature narwhals, according to Smithsonian magazine, and the act of hunting itself helps to define Inuit culture, whether it be hunting narwhals, belugas, or other Arctic animals. This sexual selection theory is supported by observations reported in Laidre’s narwhal FAQ: “During the summertime in the northern Canadian high Arctic bays and fjords (long narrow inlets), male narwhals can be seen carefully crossing their tusks and making a strange, sad whistle.” These behaviors could help males determine a dominance hierarchy, or prepare young males for adult mating activity. Fontanella, Janet E.; Fish, Frank E.; Rybczynski, Natalia; Nweeia, Martin T.; Ketten, Darlene R. (2010). "Three-dimensional geometry of the narwhal ( Monodon monoceros) flukes in relation to hydrodynamics". Marine Mammal Science. 27 (4): 889–898. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00439.x. hdl: 1912/4924.

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They can extend up to 10 feet (3 meters) long and weigh as much as 22 pounds (10 kg). 5. Their tusks primarily relate to mating, in a similar way to an antlers of a stag.