The narwhal has been nicknamed "the unicorn of the sea." This creature's tusk, which is actually an overgrown tooth, looks like the horn of the fabled horse. In reality, the narwhal uses its tusk to fight over mates. The narwhal lives in icy waters, grouping together to hunt for fish and squid. When the ice begins to spread and harden during winter, these mammals swim away to less-frigid waters in massive numbers.
Toothache: The narwhal only has two teeth. In males, one tooth grows so long that it cuts through the animal's lip to form a twisting, horn-like tusk, which can be up to 10 feet long! Males use these to "joust" during mating season. Scientists have recently learned that the tusks also work as sensory organs, possibly reading the water temperature to lead it toward areas where prey are likely swimming. About one in 500 males have two tusks.
Sound it Out: Like dolphins, this creature hunts by echolocation-sending out sounds (clicks, squeals and whistles) and locating prey by interpreting the sound waves that bounce back. The narwhal also "talks" to others of its kind with these sounds.
Voyage of the Narwhal[]
The whale has to surface to breathe and will break through ice if necessary.
The narwhal spends it [sic] entire life in the frigid waters inside the Arctic Circle, but travels around a lot within that area. The creature usually lives in groups (called pods) with up to 50 companions, hunting all the way up to the North Pole during the summer. During the winter, much of the northern water freezes, the creatures swim hundreds of miles southward. During this seasonal migration, several pods may merge in the Arctic Ocean, with hundreds of narwhals forming groups so dense that a person could walk across their backs!
Use Your Head: This creature lives in the ocean, but it's a mammal so it still needs to breathe air. The narwhal often swims beneath frozen seas, but can use its rounded head to bash through the ice and take a breath.
The Dead: "Narwhal" means "corpse whale" in the Old Norse language of ancient Scandinavia. It got the name from its gray, blotchy skin, which looks a little like decomposing flesh.
Tusk Fight[]
People used to think that narwhals used their tusks to spear prey, but that has been proven wrong by scientists. Males use their overgrown teeth in fierce fights over females during breeding season. Combatants slash at each other, and try to deflect their opponents' blows. Battles can be very bloody, and losers may end up with broken tusks.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- "Voyage of the Narwhal" says "it entire life" when it should say "its".
- The knowledge card shares the image of the narwhal in the top right with the Wildlife Explorer series, where it is used as the narwhal's main image.
- The narwhal is featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- It is first featured in Voyage Of The Narwhal on Monster Mania 76.
- It is then featured in Where In The World? on Monster Mania 81.
- It is next used in one of the example creatures for Create-A-Monster on Monster Mania 89.
- It is later featured in It's All Relative! on Monster Mania 98.