Narwhale, Unicorn whale, Moon whale, Polar whale
The narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is a species of toothed whale native to the Arctic. It is among the deepest-diving cetaceans, being able to dive up to 2,370 m (7,780 ft). Every year, narwhals migrate and usually travel in small groups but may form aggregations of up to 1,000 individuals in the summer months. These beautiful and rare whales have been hunted for thousands of years by Inuit peoples in northern Canada and Greenland for meat and ivory.
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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PiscivoresA piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
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AquaticAn aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract ...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Dominance hierarchyA dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social gr...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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Weird AnimalsThe narwhal has a robust body with a short, blunt snout, small upcurved flippers, and convex to concave tail flukes. The colouration of the narwhal consists of a mottled pattern, with blackish-brown markings over a white background. At birth, the skin is light grey, and when reproductively mature, white patches grow on the navel and genital slit; such whitening occurs throughout life, resulting in aged narwhals being almost purely white. Unlike most whales, the narwhal has a shallow dorsal ridge, rather than a dorsal fin, possibly an evolutionary adaptation to make swimming under ice easier or to facilitate rolling. The neck vertebrae are also jointed, instead of being fused as in most whales, which allows for a greater range of neck flexibility. These characteristics are shared by the Beluga whale. Furthermore, male and female narwhals have differently shaped tail flukes; the former are bent inward, while the latter are swept back on the front margins. This is thought to be an adaptation for reducing drag caused by the tusk. The most conspicuous trait of male narwhals is a long, spiralled tusk, which is a canine tooth that projects from the left side of the upper jaw. Both sexes have a pair of tusks embedded in the upper jaw, which in males erupt from the lip somewhere between two and three years of age. The tusk grows throughout the animal's life, reaching lengths of 1.5-3 m (4 ft 11 in - 9 ft 10 in). It is hollow and weighs up to 7.45 kg (16.4 lb). Some males may grow two tusks, occurring when the right canine also protrudes through the lip. Females rarely grow tusks: when they do, the tusks are typically smaller than those of males, with less noticeable spirals.
Narwhals are scattered throughout Arctic waters and the North Atlantic Ocean. Most of them are found in Greenland and the eastern part of the Canadian Arctic Ocean. Narwhals migrate seasonally, with high fidelity of return to preferred, ice-free summering grounds, usually in shallow waters. In the summer months, they move closer to coasts, often in pods of 10-100. In the winter, they move to offshore, deeper waters under thick pack ice, surfacing in narrow fissures in the sea ice, or leads. As spring comes, these leads open up into channels, and the narwhals return to the coastal bays.
Narwhals are gregarious and commonly occur in pods of between 6 and 20 animals, though most groups number between 3 and 8. These groups often are segregated by sex, and pods of male 'bachelors' are common. In the summer, several groups come together, forming larger aggregations that can contain from 500 to over 1000 individuals. At times, a bull narwhal may rub its tusk with another bull, a display known as "tusking" and thought to maintain social dominance hierarchies. Narwhals remain near pack ice for the whole year. Breathing holes are created through sheets of ice with thrusts of their thick head, sometimes by several of them at the same time. Due to the lack of well-developed dentition in the mouth, narwhals are believed to feed by swimming towards prey until it is within close range and then sucking it with considerable force into the mouth. The distinctive tusk is used to tap and stun small prey, facilitating a catch. Narwhals are very vocal, squeaking and clicking as they travel. Like many cetaceans, narwhals slap their flippers on the water as they surface, raising their tusks and heads out of the water.
Narwhals are carnivores (piscivores). Their diet includes Greenland halibut, polar and Arctic cod, cuttlefish, shrimp, and armhook squid. They also consume wolffish, capelin, and skate eggs.
Narwhals are polygynous, with an adult male mating with multiple females during one mating season. Mating usually occurs from March to May, when males court the females and compete with one another. The gestation period is around 15 months, with calves being born in July and August the year following. Narwhals give birth to a single calf, and they are born tail first. The tusks of males do not grow until they are weaned, when they are about one year old. Young narwhals can swim soon after birth. A female will give birth once every three years. Males generally are reproductively mature between the ages of 8 and 10, while females achieve maturity when they are 4-7 years old.
Narwhals are hunted for meat, their skin, called "maktaq", and their ivory tusks, sold as curios or for carving. They are susceptible to climate fluctuations as well as long-term climate change. Their range declines as pack ice recedes. They have sometimes been trapped under the ice, which forms too quickly for them to make a breathing hole. Industrial extraction, marine construction, shipping, and military activities cause noise pollution under the water. As narwhals depend on sound for communication, interference by noise pollution may impact their ability to navigate, access food and mates, avoid predators, and look after their young.
According to the IUCN Red List, the global narwhal population size is around 123,000 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
Narwhals are at the top of the food chain and have an important role in the overall health of the marine environment, controlling the populations of the prey items they consume.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...