What makes narwhals unusual

Calves are 5. Narwhals are hunted by native peoples of the Arctic for their flesh, blubber, and tusks. They have been killed from being entrapped in ice. Narwhal tissue may contain high levels of contaminants from the environment.

We work with volunteer networks in all coastal states to respond to marine mammal strandings including all whales.

When stranded animals are found dead, our scientists work to understand and investigate the cause of death. Although the cause often remains unknown, scientists can sometimes attribute strandings to disease, harmful algal blooms, vessel strikes, fishing gear entanglements, pollution exposure, and underwater noise.

Some strandings can serve as indicators of ocean health, giving insight into larger environmental issues that may also have implications for human health and welfare. Narwhals have never been part of a declared unusual mortality event. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act , an unusual mortality event UME is defined as "a stranding that is unexpected; involves a significant die-off of any marine mammal population; and demands immediate response.

Get information on active and past UMEs. Get an overview of marine mammal UMEs. Narwhal Monodon monoceros. Throughout Its Range. MMPA Protected. Quick Facts Weight. Climate change, Loss of sea ice, Hunting. Like some other porpoises, they travel in groups and feed on fish, shrimp, squid, and other aquatic fare.

They are often sighted swimming in groups of 15 to 20, but gatherings of hundreds—or even several thousands—of narwhals have been reported. Sometimes these groups become trapped by shifting pack ice and fall victim to Inuit hunters, polar bears, or walruses. Inuit people hunt the narwhal for their long tusks and their skin, an important source of vitamin C in the traditional Arctic diet. All rights reserved. Four male narwhals pass along in the open water of Lancaster Sound in Nunavut, Canada.

Common Name: Narwhal. Scientific Name: Monodon monoceros. Type: Mammals. Diet: Carnivore. Size: 13 to 20 feet. Weight: 1.

Size relative to a bus:. Near threatened. Least Concern Extinct. Current Population Trend: Unknown. However, typically only the males have these so-called unicorn horns. Adult male narwhals grow to be about 15 feet 4. The tusk — which is a long, straight tooth — grows up to 9 feet long 3 m out of the male's mouth, according to the Polar Science Center at the University of Washington. Although narwhals are considered toothed whales, their mouths don't contain any functioning teeth.

In males, the right canine tooth remains in the skull and never grows out, while the left canine is the one that shoots out through the gums in a counterclockwise, spiral pattern to form the tusk.

Rarely, both teeth protrude, giving the narwhal two tusks. Females are much smaller than males, growing to be about 13 feet 4 m long and weighing about 2, lbs. Experts have long speculated about why narwhals have this bizarre, elongated tooth.

Some theories suggest that the tusk is a tool for survival, as the whales could possibly use it to break up ice at the surface, spear fish for dinner or dig for meals in the seafloor. But the vast majority of female narwhals don't have tusks, and females tend to live longer than males. Therefore, experts think the tusk is probably not an advantage for survival but rather a primarily male sex characteristic that serves as a formidable weapon for competing with other males for mates.

But the tusk may also have another purpose. A study published in the journal The Anatomical Record found that the narwhal's mysterious tusk is full of sensitive nerve endings that allow the whale to detect changes in the environment, such as fluctuations in temperature and salinity. These findings suggest that the tusk might also be a sensory organ. As for the rest of the narwhal body, their heads are relatively small and round compared with those of other cetaceans.

Narwhals' fins are also short and round, and they have a short ridge along their back in place of a dorsal fin. Their tail fluke is also convex, rather than concave as with other cetaceans. They can be found in the coastal areas during the summer and farther out at sea during the winter.

Narwhals are the deepest divers in their family and can swim to depths of at least 4, feet 1, m , where no light can reach and water pressure exceeds 2, psi atmospheres , according to NOAA.