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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
narwhal,
unicorn whale |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Cetacea |
| SUBORDER: |
Odontoceti |
| FAMILY: |
Monodontidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Monodon ("one tooth") monoceros ("one
horn") |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Narwhals
are perhaps best known for their tusks-they are
the only whales that have them. The tusk is an extremely
elongated, hollow tooth, which always spirals counter-clockwise
from the left side of the skull. It can measure
2.5-2.7 m long (8-9 ft.). Most narwhals have just
one tusk, but narwhals with two tusks have been
reported. Almost exclusively seen in males, there
are only scattered reports of females developing
a tusk. Narwhals have no other visible teeth in
their jaws. Like the beluga whales, narwhals lack
a dorsal fin and instead have a dorsal ridge. Mature
narwhals tend to have a black and white spotted
coloration the dorsal region of their body, while
older narwhals may be almost completely white. Narwhal
calves typically are a blotchy gray. |
| MALE |
Males
tend to grow larger than females |
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| SIZE: |
Newborn
calves average 1.6 m (5.25 ft.) in length |
| MALE |
Minus
the tusk, adult male narwhals measure up to 5 m
(16.1 ft.) long |
| FEMALE |
Females
are smaller, with a size up to 4 m (13 ft.) in length |
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| WEIGHT: |
At
birth, calves can weigh as much as 80 kg (176 lb.) |
| MALE |
Mature
males weigh up to 1,600 kg (3,200 lb.) |
| FEMALE |
Adult
females can reach a weight of up to 900 kg (2,000
lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Usually
dive deep to feed upon benthic fish, shrimp and
squid, also eat pelagic fish such as arctic cod |
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| GESTATION: |
14-15
months |
| ESTRAL
PERIOD |
Throughout
the winter and spring with a peak in April |
| NURSING
DURATION |
At
least 12 months |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
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| MALE |
8-9
years |
| FEMALE |
4-7
years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
25
or more years |
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| RANGE: |
Range
throughout the Arctic Sea and the northeastern and
northwestern Atlantic |
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| HABITAT: |
The
migrations of narwhals closely follow the movement
of loose pack ice |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Data
Deficient |
| CITES |
Appendix
III (Denmark and Canada), Appendix I elsewhere in
its range |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Narwhals
are toothed whales in the family Monodontidae, which
they share with just one other species - the beluga
whale. |
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| 2. |
Some theorize that males "joust" with
their tusks or use them to poke their way through
ice floes or even to skewer prey. These theories
are unlikely. If the tusk were damaged, it could
lead to severe infections and death for the narwhal.
The tusk probably serves as a secondary sexual characteristic
for males, indicating which males are older and
more mature. |
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| 3. |
Contrary to common belief, narwhals do not spear
fish with their tusks, but instead suck prey into
their mouth and then swallow it whole. |
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| 4. |
Narwhals
travel farther north than perhaps any other whale
species. They are well adapted for life in frigid
water, with blubber accounting for up to 35% of
their body weight for insulation. |
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| Killer
whales and Greenland sharks preyed upon narwhals,
but the main enemy of narwhals is man. Since some
believe their tusks possess almost magical healing
and aphrodisiac properties, they are still illegally
hunted today. As with other whales, both national
and international laws protect narwhals. |
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| |
|
|
|
Jefferson,
T.J. Leatherwood, S. and M.A. Webber. FAO Species
Identification Guide. Marine Mammals of the World.
Rome. FAO, 1993.
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| |
|
Leatherwood, Stephen, and Reeves, Randall R. The
Sierra Club Handbook of Whales and Dolphins.
San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1983. |
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|
Nowak, Ronald M. (ed.). Walker's Mammals of
the World. Vol. II. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins
University Press, 1991.
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| Parker,
S. (ed.). Grizmek's Encyclopedia of Mammals.
Vol. IV. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.,
1990. |
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| Reeves,
R. R., Stewart, B.S., Clapman, P.J., and J.A. Powell
(Peter Folkens illustrator). National Audubon
Society: Guide to Marine Mammals of the World.
New York: Random House, 2002. |
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| http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu |
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