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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
narwhal |
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| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Monodon monoceros |
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| GESTATION: |
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| ESTRAL
PERIOD |
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DURATION |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
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| MALE |
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| FEMALE |
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| 1. |
Narwhals are one of the most recognizable yet least understood of all whale species. There is debate, for example, on the purpose of the famous narwhal "horn," once believed to belong to unicorns.
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| 2. |
The "horn" is an extremely elongated, hollow tooth which always spirals counter-clockwise from the left side of the skull. It can measure 2.5 to 2.7 m long (8-9 ft.). There have been sightings of narwhals with two tusks present. Almost exclusively seen in males, there are only scattered reports of females developing a tusk. Narwhals have no other visible teeth in their jaws. |
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Some imagine 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 would lead possibly 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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| 4. |
Narwhals travel farther north than perhaps any other whale species. They are well adapted for life in frigid water, with up to 35% of their body weight as fat for insulation. Minus the tusk, male narwhals measure up to 4.6 m (15 ft.) long and weigh up to 1,350 kg (3,000 lb.). Females are slightly smaller, with a size up to 4 m (13 ft.) in length and a weight of up to 900 kg (2,000 lb.). |
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| 5. |
Narwhales are preyed upon by killer whales and Greenland sharks but their main enemy is man. Since some believe their tusk to possess almost magical healing and aphrodisiastic properties, they are still illegally hunted today. They are protected by both national and international laws. |
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