Narwhals

"Narwhal" is Norse for "corpse whale", because the spotted body (very unusual for a whale) reminded the Norse sailors of the body of a man who has drowned.

The horn is actually not a horn at all. Narwhals have two teeth in the upper jaw. After the first year of a male narwhal's life, its left tooth grows outward, spirally. This long, single tooth projects from its upper jaw and grows to be 7-10 feet long.

They swim down over a mile towards the bottom of the ocean to hunt fish. To help them do this, they swim upside-down most of the way, and have collapsible rib-cages to alleviate some of the intense pressure.

Daily, a narwhal may eat as much as an estimated 30 kilograms/66 pounds worth of fish. But that's only a guess, and one that represents an average of extremes. In fact, narwhal feeding habits involve yo-yo feeding and dieting between two main yearly habitats. Specifically, the narwhal migrates between, and feeds differently at, high Arctic winter feeding grounds and low Arctic summer grounds.

No, narwhals do not live in the midnight zone. Narwhals are typically found in Arctic waters, where they remain close to the surface to breathe and feed. The midnight zone, also known as the middle zone or bathypelagic zone, is much deeper in the ocean and not a habitat for narwhals.

The adult male narwhal tends to weigh in at 1,600 kilograms/3,500 pounds. Its body length tends to measure in at 4-6 meters/13-16 feet. Additionally, it typically has a tusk. The tusk tends to add another 2-3 meters/7-10 feetfrontwards.

A male narwhal tends to have one tusk, and the female none. But there are rare instances of a two-tusked male and a one-tusked female. There even is the one known, recorded instance of a two-tusked female.

No, narwhals are not typically kept in zoos due to their specialized needs and the challenges of creating a suitable environment for them in captivity. They require cold, Arctic waters and have a diet that may be difficult to replicate in a captive setting.

Narwhals are so magical, they live forever!

Adult male narwhals tend to weigh more than adult females. The male may weigh as much as 1,600 kilograms/3,500 pounds. The female may weigh as much as 1,000 kilograms/2,200 pounds.
Bulls (Male narwhals) weigh about 1 ¾ T (3,500 lb) and grow about 15-20 ft, excluding the large tusk. Cows (female narwhals) weigh about 1 1/5T (2,200lb) and grow about 13-16 ft. Calves (Young narwhals) weigh about 175-220 lbs and are about 5 ft long.

A narwhal's strongest sense is its hearing, which is crucial for communication, navigation, and locating prey in the dark Arctic waters. They also have a well-developed sense of touch, particularly in their long tusk, which may help them sense changes in water temperature and pressure.

Inuit hunt narwhals for their meat, skin, blubber, and tusks, which provide important sources of food, clothing, tools, and materials for the community. Narwhals have been a traditional part of Inuit culture and diet for centuries.

well when they squeak or whatever they do there ECHO goes in all directions, and it goes to the other narwhal. but if it were ECHOLOCATION then when the squeak or whatever would go in all directions then bounce back off the object it was looking for or whatever that was in front of them.

Yes, narwhals can lose their teeth. Females tend to have both their teeth embedded in their jaws. Males tend to have frontwards projecting, long tusks growing out of one tooth. Sometimes, they have tusks growing out of both teeth. The tusks can break off.

A narwhal is a picky eater. It particularly favors eating cod, halibut, shrimp, and squid. Scientists aren't sure how narwhals eat. But one possibility is sucking in, and swallowing whole, their prey.

Narwhals live in the upper, sunlit zone of the Arctic and North Atlantic Ocean waters. It ventures down into the middle zone and even the topmost part of the lower zone. But these are merely forays for food.

A depth of 4,500 feet/1,500 meters is the furthest down that a narwhal can live. But that depth only can be tolerated for 20-25 minutes at a time. That depth also is reached only in pursuit of narwhal prey of the lower, midnight zone of the Arctic and North Atlantic ocean waters. Typically, a narwhal favors the sunlit waters of the upper zone that goes down 600 feet/200 meters from the ocean surface.

Whale lice are the most common external parasites of the narwhal [Monodon monoceros]. They particularly favor the base of the male narwhal's tusk. Worms are the most common internal parasites. They particularly favor the stomach, and the middle ear.

Yes they do have. The Narwhal (meaning "corpse whale" in Old Norse) is a rarely seen Arctic whale. This social whale is known for the very long tooth that males have.

It is difficult to provide an exact number of narwhals in the wild as population estimates can vary. However, it is generally believed that there are tens of thousands of narwhals remaining in the wild, with different subspecies found in various regions of the Arctic. Conservation efforts are in place to protect these unique cetaceans.

Narwhals are found in the Arctic ecosystem, inhabiting the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean. They rely on sea ice for hunting, primarily feeding on fish, squid, and shrimp. Narwhals also coexist with other Arctic marine mammals such as polar bears, seals, and beluga whales in their ecosystem.

Narwhals are dangerous because of their frontwards projecting tusk. The tusk actually is a tooth. It grows, long and sharp, out of the upper incisor. It may measure 2-3 meters/7-10 feet in length.

The very first discoverer of the narwhal may well have been the ancestors of the Inuit. The hunt of the narwhal and the use of its body parts have been historic, longstanding, traditional activities around which Inuit culture evolved in northern Canada and western Greenland. But the first known, recorded witness by a specific individual was by Olaus Magnus [October 1490-August 1, 1557], in 1555.

Official prices in 2007-2008 tended to hover around $100-$125 per foot/0.3 meter of tusk. The legal sources of narwhal tusks are the Inuit hunters of Arctic Canada and Greenland. But illegal hunting still takes place. The risks are higher, and so are the pay scales set by the black market and by private collectors.

The name 'narwhal' derives from the Scandinavian term for the inhabitant of the Arctic waters. The actual word in Danish and Swedish is 'nahrval'. That term traces back to the much earlier, Old Norse 'nar', which means 'corpse'. The word describes the creature's grey, mottled look that reminds many of that of a drowned sailor.