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Scientific name: Monodon monoceros Phylum: Chordata Sub Phylum: Vertebrata Class: Mammalia Order: Cetacea Suborder: Odontoceti Family: Monodontidae Genus: Monodon |
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Tempered coastals. Narwhal live in the northern oceans among coastal and pack ice. Palearctic, Nearctic, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Arctic Ocean: Narwhal live in the northern oceans and move from the offshore pack ice into fjords during mid-summer. The Narwhal migrates north to the North Pole in the winter. It migrates south to Alaska in the spring. They live in the Arctic Ocean near Greenland. The Narwhal lives in the circumpolar and the Arctic Circle. In Alaska: to northern Davis Strait and southern Baffin Bay in fall (where it remains close to pack ice), returning through Lancaster Sound to areas farther west; very common in Lancaster. Sound (some 85% of the North American population may use this area); rare west of Barrow Strait; some found in Hudson Bay and Foxe Basin, migrating to Hudson Strait in fall. |
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The Narwhal is unlike any other cetacean. The male has a long spiralling tusk which is not normally possessed by the female. The tusk which grows to a length of 1.5-3m (5-10ft) is actually a modified tooth and looks like a twisted and gnarled walking stick. During the 17th century the Narwhal tusk was thought to have been the horn of the legendary unicorn. Studies suggest that males engage in aggressive behavior when competing for females. Scars attributed to tusk action have been found on the heads of adult males which are more likely to have broken tusks. The head of the Narwhal is proportionately small with a bulbous forehead. While almost all males develope a single tusk from the tooth on the left-hand side of upper jaw, only 3% of females grow a thin tusk. All have a very slight beak, short flippers and flukes which appear to be on 'backwards'. An adult Narwhal
will grow to a length of 4-5m (13-16ft) and weigh 0.8-1.6 tonnes. It is
stocky and has no dorsal fin. It also has short pectoral fins. Its tail
flukes are unlike any other species of whales. The tail flukes change shape
as the animal grows. When born, the Narwhal is gray or brownish-gray. White
patches
The males
have long twisted tusks protruding straight forward from snout. Sometimes
females has shorts tusks. The tusk is spiraled sinistrally. The tusk can
reach up to three meters and weigh up to nine kilograms. The length of
the Narwhal can reach up to four meters excluding tusk. It can weigh up
to two tons. The
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Its diet consists of fish (Polar/Arctic Cod or Greenland halibut) and cephalopods, as well as benthic(animals which lives on the sea floor) fish crabs, and shrimps. Narwhals have few functional teeth and, with their mouth, employ both strong suction and the emission of a jet of water to dislodge prey from the ocean bottom. Its highly flexible neck aids the scanning of a broad area and the capture of more moblie prey. |
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Not much is known about Narwhal reproduction; however, dominant males apparently mate with many females. The long protruding tusk of males is thought to play a role in dominance among males and perhaps in the Narwhal mating ritual, but this is uncertain. The Narwhal's gestation period is ten to sixteen months. The calves are born after fourteen months. They reach puberty and find a mate. The calf is born tail first. Its birth is the mothers greatest physical shock of her life. The calf lives off the mother's milk for four months and may feed off other whale's milk. The calf is born without teeth. |
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Usually swims in pods(a small herd or "school" of whales); male's tusk is often visible above the water; often remains in deep water bays and channels Narwhal herds consist of groups of females with calves, wotj large males of similar size, color, and tusk length swimming among them. The tusks in males may also help with vocalizations, which contribute to social hierarchies within the herd. The Narwhal's system of talking is to send echoes and they bounce off the object. The tightest pair of Narwhal's is the mother-calf relationship. They swim in small pods, but some pods can reach up to fifty Narwhals. When the Narwhal surfaces for air, they lie motionless before diving again. |
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Although the Narwhal is preyed upon by Polar Bears, Walruses, Orcas and a number of sharks its major enemy is man. It has been hunted by the Inuit people for centuries for its tusk, flesh and other edible parts. Its thick skin is traditionally eated raw as a delicacy, much of the meat is fed to sled dogs and the blubber is rendered down for heating and lighting. In the Thule district Narwhal are still traditionally harpooned from kayak but most modern Inuit hunters use fast motor boats and high-powered rifles. Subsistance hunting communities have a long tradition of established rules but they clearly need to take account of developments that alter their operation from an 'aboriginal' manner. In the past the tusk has been used for tools, but now it can be sold for up to $4,500. It is illegal to import whale products into the United States so the tusks are often sold to Eurasian countries. The number of Narwhal living in the wild is thought to be around 10,000-25,000. It is not an endangered species; however, the Narwhal's ivory tusk is highly prized by native hunters, jewelry manufacturers and collecters for museums. Its blubber and skin are another causes of its hunting.Hunting quotas are strictly enforced. |
