Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea

In the past several years, a particular sea creature has been getting more attention than it has for many years previously. This creature is incredibly unique looking, with a long tusk on the front of its head, which is part of the reason it has attracted so much attention. These creatures were out of the spotlight in years past due to their elusive nature and the fact that their natural habitat is in more obscure parts of the world. This animal is the narwhal, a sea creature that lives in arctic climates. While we’ve only started recently paying more attention to narwhals, these animals have a rich history.

Where do they live?

As mentioned above, narwhals enjoy colder climates. While many species of whale (which the narwhal is) follow migration patterns throughout the ocean, narwhals instead spend almost all of their time in the chilly waters around Canada, Russia, and Greenland. They spend most of their lives in large areas of water completely covered with ice, though in the summer they do congregate in large groups in water without ice, much closer to land than they usually live.

How do they survive?

Narwhals breathe air like other whales, so it’s important that when they do travel under ice, they can find places to surface to get fresh air. Their diet consists of various fish, such as cod or halibut, as well as squid and shrimp. Narwhals are able to dive up to a mile underwater and hold their breath for long amounts of time in order to catch their prey.

What are they like?

Like some other types of whales, narwhals are incredibly social creatures. They travel in pods that can range to nearly 100 individuals, but sometimes travel with thousands of other narwhals, particularly during the summer when they move to ice-free water.

What’s up with that horn?

Narwhals horns are actually just an incredibly long tooth that’s grown through the roof of their mouths that can grow up to about 10 feet. This tooth is porous and extremely sensitive, which means they do not really use it to break through ice or to fight, which are common misconceptions about the species. Right now, scientists are not entirely sure what narwhals use their tusk for, but one common theory is that it’s used much like the whiskers of a cat or a dolphin’s sonar; the tusk provides narwhals with information about the depth they’re swimming, how cold or warm the water is, or various other useful pieces of information about their environment. Another popular theory is that the tusk aids narwhals in hunting.

Some fun history

In medieval times, narwhal tusks were often sold as unicorn horns; hence their nickname, unicorns of the sea. They were often hunted in order to sell their tusks to royalty; some royal treasuries contain narwhal horns to this day. One common story is how Queen Elizabeth I paid the price of a castle for a jeweled narwhal horn, believing it to be from a unicorn, which were said to have infallible healing powers.

Current status

Today, there are strict laws regarding how and when narwhals can be hunted. For the Inuit people, narwhals are a staple of their diet and all part of the animal is used. For these people, regulated narwhal hunting is allowed. However, there is still a lot of poaching that occurs where narwhals are concerned. They are also under threat from pollution and global warming as their native environment becomes warmer, prey begins to disappear, and ice shifts in location.

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