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Table of Contents
The narwhal, known as the narwhale (Monodon monoceros), is a standard-size toothed whale with a vast “tusk” formed by a projecting canine tooth. It spends the entire year in the Arctic seas around Greenland, Canada, and Russia. It is one of two extant whale species in the Monodontidae family, the other being the beluga whale. Male narwhals have a long, straight helix tusk that is an extended upper left canine. Carl Linnaeus described the narwhal as one of the numerous species in his 1758 book Systema Naturae.
See the fact file below for more information on Narwhal or alternatively, you can download our 27-page Narwhal worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
Overview
- Narwhals, like belugas, are medium-sized whales. The overall body size for both sexes, apart from the male’s tusk, may range from 3.95 to 5.5 m (13 to 18 ft); males are more extensive than females. An adult narwhal weighs between 800 and 1,600 kg (1,760 to 3,530 lb).
- Males reach sexual maturity at roughly 11 to 13, whereas girls reach sexual maturity at around 5 to 8. Narwhals lack a dorsal fin, and their neck vertebrae are joined rather than fused, as they are in dolphins and other whales.
- The narwhal is a highly specialized Arctic predator found primarily in the Canadian Arctic, Greenlandic, and Russian seas. Under densely packed ice in the winter, it feeds on benthic food, primarily flatfish. During the summer, narwhals mostly consume Arctic cod and Greenland halibut, with other species, such as polar cod, filling in the gaps.
- As summer approaches, they travel from bays into the ocean. Male narwhals may dive up to 1,500 m (4,920 feet) deep during the winter, with dives extending up to 25 minutes. Narwhals, like the majority of toothed whales, communicate by “clicks,” “whistles,” and “knocks.”
- Narwhals may live for up to 50 years and are frequently killed by asphyxia after being trapped due to sea ice development. Other reasons for mortality, particularly among young whales, include hunger and orca predation. The IUCN classifies narwhals as “near threatened” since previous estimates of the worldwide narwhal population were fewer than 50,000.
- More recent estimates show more significant numbers (up to 170,000), decreasing the category to “least concern.” Narwhals have been reaped for hundreds of years for flesh and ivory by Inuit in northern Canada and Greenland, and a regulated subsistence hunt continues.
Taxonomy and Etymology
- The narwhal was one of several species first described by Carl Linnaeus in his seminal 1758 book Systema Naturae. Its name is emanated from the Old Norse word nár, which means “corpse,” about the animal’s greyish, mottled pigmentation, which resembles that of a drowned sailor, and its summertime routine of lying still at or near the sea’s surface (known as “logging”). The scientific name, Monodon monoceros, is based on Greek: “one-tooth one horn.”
- The narwhal’s closest relative is the beluga whale. These two species are the sole living members of the family Monodontidae, sometimes known as the “white whales.” The Monodontidae are defined by their medium size (about 4 m (13.1 ft) in length), prominent melons (round sensory organs), short snouts, and lack of a genuine dorsal fin.
- Although the narwhal and beluga are classed as different genera with one species each, there is some indication that they may interbreed on a very infrequent basis. Around 1990, the entire skull of an aberrant whale was recovered in West Greenland.
- Marine zoologists characterized it as unlike any species in the world but with characteristics halfway between a narwhal and a beluga, supporting the theory that the aberrant whale was a narwhal-beluga hybrid; DNA and isotopic study verified this in 2019. The superfamily Delphinoidea, which includes white whales, dolphins (Delphinidae), and porpoises (Phocoenidae), is likely monophyletic.
- According to genetic data, porpoises are more closely linked to white whales. These two groups form a distinct clade that separated from the rest of Delphinoidea during the last 11 million years.
- Ancient white whales existed in tropical seas, according to fossil evidence. They may have moved to Arctic and sub-Arctic seas in reaction to Pliocene alterations in the marine food chain.
Description
- Narwhals are standard-size whales similar in size to beluga whales. The total length of both sexes, except the male’s tusk, can range from 3.95 to 5.5 m. (13 to 18 ft). Males have a somewhat longer average length of 4.1 m (13.5 ft) than females, who have a height of 3.5 m. (11.5 ft). The average adult body weight ranges between 800 and 1,600 kg (1,760 to 3,530 lb).
- Male narwhals achieve sexual maturity between 11 and 13 when they are around 3.9 m (12.8 ft) long. Females reach sexual adulthood between the ages of 5 and 8 when they are approximately 3.4 m (11.2 ft) long.
- Narwhal coloring is mottled, with blackish-brown patterns on a white background. They are darkest when born and grow whiter with age; at sexual maturity, white patches emerge on the navel and genital slit. Older guys may be almost entirely white.
- Narwhals lack a dorsal fin, which might be an evolutionary adaptation for swimming smoothly beneath the ice, facilitating rolling, or reducing surface area and heat loss. Narwhals, on the other hand, have a shallower dorsal ridge. Their neck vertebrae are joined, rather than fused, as in other whales, allowing for a wide range of neck flexibility.
- Both of these traits are shared by the other beluga whale. Female narwhal tail flukes have swept-back front edges, but male narwhal tail flukes are more concave and lack a sweep-back. It is supposed to be a modification for decreasing tusk drag.
Tusk
- These mythical creatures have two teeth. The most conspicuous tooth in males develops into a swordlike, spiral tusk up to 10 feet long. The ivory tusk tooth grows directly through the narwhal’s top lip.
- Scientists are unsure of the tusk’s function, although some assume it is employed in mating rituals to impress females or combat competing suitors. Females may develop a tiny tusk of their own, although it is not as conspicuous as the males.
Vestigial Teeth
- The tusks are encircled on all sides by a ring of tiny vestigial teeth that vary in shape and histology. These teeth can occasionally protrude from the bone, but they mostly live in open tooth sockets in the narwhal’s snout beside the tusks.
- The variable morphology and anatomy of little teeth suggest an evolutionary route of obsolescence, rendering the narwhal’s mouth toothless.
Genome
- Used Multiple Illumina libraries to create a 2.3 GB genomic sequence. The genome is 37.9% repetitive and contains 21,785 protein-coding genes (similar to many other mammals).
- The genome will aid in placing the narwhal in the evolutionary sense of other whales and understanding the evolution and embryo development of traits such as the tusk’s prominent tusk and sexual dimorphism.
Distribution
- The narwhal is found mainly in the Atlantic and Russian Arctic Oceans. Individuals have been found in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, including the northern half of Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, and in a strip stretching east from the north end of Greenland to eastern Russia (170° East).
- This stretch of land contains Svalbard, Franz Joseph Land, and Severnaya Zemlya. Narwhal sightings have been reported as far north as 85° North latitude, north of Franz Joseph Land.
Behavior
Social
- Bottlenose dolphins, belugas, harbor porpoises, orcas are all linked to narwhals. They move in groups, like other porpoises, and graze on fish, prawns, squid, and other aquatic delicacies.
- They are frequently seen swimming in groups of 15 to 20, although gatherings of hundreds, if not thousands, of narwhals have been observed.
- These groups are sometimes caught by changing pack ice and fall prey to Inuit hunters, polar bears, or walruses. The Inuit hunt narwhals for their long tusks and skin, a good vitamin C source in the traditional Arctic diet.
Migration
- Narwhals migrate seasonally, with high fidelity of recurrence, to preferred, ice-free summering sites, generally in shallow waters.
- During the summer, they migrate closer to the coastlines, frequently in groups of 10 to 100. In the winter, they migrate to deeper seas offshore beneath thick pack ice, surfacing in thin fractures in the sea ice known as leads.
- When spring arrives, these canals open up, and the narwhals travel to the coastal bays. Narwhals from Canada and West Greenland spend the winter on the pack ice of Davis Strait and Baffin Bay, which has smaller than 5% open water and large quantities of Greenland halibut. Winter feeding provides a substantially more significant share of narwhal calorie intake than summer feeding.
Diet
- Narwhals have a minimal and specialized diet. Greenland halibut, arctic and Arctic cod, cuttlefish, shrimp, and arm hook squid make up most of their prey.
- Other objects discovered in whale stomachs included wolffish, capelin, skate eggs, and even boulders, which were eaten accidentally as whales fed near the bottom.
- Narwhals are thought to eat by swimming towards prey until it is within close distance and then sucking it with substantial force into the mouth due to a lack of well-developed teeth.
- Beaked whales have similarly decreased teeth and are hypothesized to suck up their prey. The unusual tusk is used to tap and stun the tiny target, allowing for easier capture.
Diving
- Narwhals perform some of the plunging dives recorded for marine mammals in their wintering seas, plunging to at least 800 meters (2,620 feet) 15 times daily, with many dives surpassing 1,500 meters (4,920 feet). Dives to these chasms last around 25 minutes, including time spent at the bottom plus transit time down and back from the surface.
- Dive times and depths can also vary depending on local differences across surroundings and seasonality. For example, narwhals farther south appear to spend more time diving to greater depths along the steep slopes of Baffin Bay, implying changes in habitat structure, prey availability, or natural adaptations amongst subpopulations.
- Surprisingly, whales in the deeper northern wintering grounds have access to deeper depths while diving shallower. Because the system characterized by narwhal prey in the water column affects eating behavior and diving strategies, geographical variances in prey density patterns and changes in prey assemblage may shape narwhal winter foraging behavior.
Communication
- Like most toothed whales, Narwhals utilize sound to navigate and seek food. Narwhals generally communicate via “clicks,” “whistles,” and “knocks,” which are caused by air movement between chambers around the blow-hole. These noises echo off the tilting front of the skull and are focused by the melon, which is regulated by muscle.
- Echolocation clicks are primarily produced for prey discovery and short-distance obstacle detection. Individual “bangs” may be capable of distracting or incapacitating animals, making them simpler to hunt, although this has yet to be shown.
- They also generate tone signals, like whistles and pulsing cries, which are thought to serve as communication signals. Utterances recorded from the same herd are comparable to calls recorded from separate packs, suggesting that narwhals may have group or individual-specific calls.
- Narwhals may also change the duration and pitch of their pulsed cries to enhance sound dispersion in different acoustic settings. Narwhals can create trumpeting and squeaking door noises.
- The vocal repertoire of the narwhal is identical to that of the strongly related beluga, with comparable whistle bandwidth, whistle length, and pulse call repetition rates. In contrast, beluga whistles may have a more increased frequency range and diverse whistle forms.
Conservation Issues
- Narwhals are one of several creatures threatened by human activity. Narwhal population estimates range from roughly 50,000 (from 1996) to around 170,000. (compilation of various sub-population estimates from the years 2000–2017).
- Narwhals are regarded as near threatened, and evidence of a decrease in various subpopulations. The European Union imposed a tusk import restriction in 2004 that was repealed in 2010. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the United States has prohibited imports since 1972. Narwhals are notoriously tough to keep in captivity.
Narwhal Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Narwhals across 27 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Narwhal worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the dubbed “unicorns of the sea”, Narwhals which are strange and beautiful creatures with a long tusk protruding from their heads. They change color as they age. Newborns are blue-gray, juveniles are blue-black, and adults are mottled gray. Old narwhals are nearly all-white. They spend their whole lives in the freezing Arctic waters of Canada, Greenland, Norway, and Russia.
Complete List of Included Worksheets
- Narwhal Facts
- Info Cards
- Unicorn of the Sea
- Word Connect
- Word Finder
- Narwhal Facts Page
- Fact or Bluff
- World of Narwhals
- All About Narwhals
- Tusk vs Small Head
- Whaling
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a narwhal?
The narwhal, known as the narwhale (Monodon monoceros), is a standard-size toothed whale with a vast “tusk” formed by a projecting canine tooth. It spends the entire year in the Arctic seas around Greenland, Canada, and Russia.
What is the characteristic of a narwhal?
Narwhal coloring is mottled, with blackish-brown patterns on a white background. They are darkest when born and grow whiter with age; at sexual maturity, white patches emerge on the navel and genital slit. Older guys may be almost entirely white.
How do narwhals communicate?
Like most toothed whales, Narwhals utilize sound to navigate and seek food. Narwhals generally communicate via “clicks,” “whistles,” and “knocks,” which are caused by air movement between chambers around the blow-hole. These noises echo off the tilting front of the skull and are focused by the melon, which is regulated by muscle.
How deep do narwhals dive?
Narwhals perform some of the plunging dives recorded for marine mammals in their wintering seas, plunging to at least 800 meters (2,620 feet) 15 times daily, with many dives surpassing 1,500 meters (4,920 feet). Dives to these chasms last around 25 minutes, including time spent at the bottom plus transit time down and back from the surface.
Are narwhals endangered?
Narwhals are regarded as near threatened, and evidence of a decrease in various subpopulations. The European Union imposed a tusk import restriction in 2004 that was repealed in 2010. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the United States has prohibited imports since 1972. Narwhals are notoriously tough to keep in captivity.
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