What are some fun facts about narwhals?
Unlike some whale species that migrate, narwhals spend their lives in the Arctic waters of Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia.
- Narwhal live up to 50 years.
- Narwhal change colour with age.
- Their tusks are actually a tooth.
- Narwhal’s distinctive tusk are usually found on males.
- Tusks can grow as long as 10 ft.
How many babies can a narwhal have?
Narwhals have just one baby (called a calf) every three years. They will stay with their mother and nurse for over a year before they grow more independent and learn to hunt on their own with the pod.
How old is my narwhal?
In this study, we aged narwhals by counting annual GLGs in embedded tusks and by measuring the change in the ratio of D- and L-enantiomers of aspartic acid in the eye lens nucleus that occurs as the animal ages (the aspartic acid racemization [AAR] technique).
How many narwhals were there in 2000?
1,780
The narwhal population in Hudson Bay was estimated at 1,355 (90%CI = 1000-1900) animals in 1984 and 1,780 (90%CI = 1212-2492) animals in 2000. Neither estimate corrected for submerged animals or weather conditions, and the latter included northern Lyon Inlet and Foxe Channel.
Do female narwhals have tusks?
Although narwhals are classified as toothed whales, they have no teeth in their mouth other than the tusk. Rare instances of double-tusked narwhals have been discovered, but males typically sport a single tusk; females rarely grow tusks.
Why do narwhals have a horn?
The tusk instead seems to be used as a tool for sensing changes in the environment, like differences in water temperature, salt level, and the presence of nearby prey. Scientists once thought that narwhal tusks were used for fighting, but narwhals actually rub their horns against each other for cleaning.
Why do narwhals have horn?
Now a new study suggests the true evolutionary purpose of these horns – which can be 8-feet-long – has to do with sex: The tusks, the research found, are used by male narwhals to compete for and attract mates, a bit like a peacock’s ostentatious feathers or an elk’s elaborate antlers.