I would like to immediately answer the question of our readers about who a narwhal is - an animal or a fish. This is a mammal related to cetaceans. This is the only species of narwhal.
The animal narwhal, or water unicorn, lives in the Arctic Ocean, is a close relative of the beluga whale and belongs to the family of cetacean mammals.
Appearance
This is a very large animal - the narwhal. Its (male) weight reaches 1.5 tons. The length of an adult is 4.5 meters, up to one and a half meters is the length of a cub. In the weight of an adult narwhal, more than half is fat. The females are somewhat sleeker, weighing only 900 kilograms.
Outwardly, narwhals are very similar to belugas. But they are distinguished by a huge horn. More often it is called a tusk. This is a large and durable formation 2-3 meters long and weighing 10 kg. The tusks are able to bend in different directions without breaking.
Why the narwhal horn
The functions of the tusk are still not fully understood. True, today scientists say with confidence that it is not designed to break through the ice crust or attack the victim.
At first, a version was announced that the animal narwhal uses its horn in mating games -to attract a female. It was based on observations. The fact is that during the mating season, these giant animals really constantly touch their tusks.
In 2005, a scientific expedition observing the life of narwhals came to the conclusion that this formation is extremely sensitive. When studying it, a huge number of nerve endings were found on its surface.
Scientists have once again seen how unique the narwhal (animal) is. The tusk that measures the temperature and frequency of electromagnetic waves is the next version of its purpose.
Hypersensitive Tusk
Narwhal horn is revered and highly valued in different cultures - it can be an adornment of royal thrones and palaces. In England, the tusk of the narwhal became the royal scepter. Queen Elizabeth paid for one tusk of this northern giant in the 16th century a fantastic amount for those times - 10 thousand pounds. With this money it was possible to build a castle. Why is the offshoot so remarkable?
Narwhals belong to a small suborder of the so-called toothed whales. Despite this, in fact they are toothless creatures. There are no teeth at all on the lower jaw, and only two rudiments on the upper jaw. The cubs can have six pairs of upper and a pair of lower teeth, but they fall out very quickly, and in place of the left tooth, males begin to develop a tusk, which by the time of maturity of the animal reaches 2-3 m in length, 7-10 cm in thickness and more 10 kg weight. Long tusks adorn only males. The female has a straight and shorter horn. Rarely,but it happens that both teeth in females degenerate into tusks; and in males, the left canine does not become a horn, but these are quite rare exceptions.
Narwhal tusk on its surface has a spiral striation (cutting), which significantly increases its strength. This cutting appears over a long time: with the forward movement of the animal, the tusk, overcoming the powerful resistance of the water, slowly turns around its own axis. As a result, the walls of the hole cut spiral grooves on its emerging surface.
Very rare are males with two tusks, which were formed from two teeth at once. According to statistics, such animals are found one in 500 adults.
Surprisingly, even today the animal narwhal, and in particular its horn, remains a mystery to scientists around the world. He is little studied.
To date, researchers believe that the tusk allows the narwhal to feel changes in temperature, pressure, concentration of suspended particles in the water.
Lifestyle
Narwhal - an animal (we posted a photo in this article), which in winter dives to a depth of 1.5 km. This is necessary to protect themselves from the icy Arctic waters. After some time, he rises to the surface for air and again goes to the depth. He makes about 15 such dives per day. In addition, subcutaneous fat is a reliable protection against cold in narwhals. Its layer sometimes exceeds 10 cm. In summer, these animals are usually at a depth of 30 to 300m.
Food
Animal of the Arctic - narwhal - feeds mainly on cephalopods and various types of bottom fish. The main enemies of these powerful animals are killer whales and polar bears. Babies are sometimes attacked by sharks.
Family
A narwhal animal can live alone or in a small group of up to 10 adult males or females with offspring.
Earlier, these giants created large herds, numbering several hundred, and sometimes thousands of heads. Today it is rare to find a group of more than a hundred heads. Sometimes belugas join them.
Like other gregarious cetaceans, these animals communicate with each other using vocalizations. Most often, these are sharp sounds similar to whistling, moaning, clicking, lowing, gurgling, creaking.
Reproduction
Mating takes place in the spring. Pregnancy lasts 14 months, the full reproduction cycle is 2-3 years. Usually one is born, much less often two cubs. Sexual maturity occurs at 7 years of age. No cases of these animals breeding in captivity have been registered.
Female feeds cub with very rich milk for 20 months.
Life in captivity
The water unicorn belongs to a small group of animals that absolutely cannot stand captivity. This is evidenced by the irrefutable fact that not a single animal has survived in captivity for more than six months, while in natural conditions they live up to 55 years. The exact number of narwhals has not been established, but they are small,a rare species that is already listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
With full confidence they can be called one of the wonders of the Arctic, one and only of its kind.
Habitat
We have already mentioned that these powerful animals live in the harsh northern regions. The most common in the seas of the Arctic, in the Arctic Ocean. Narwhals can be found off the coast of Greenland, as well as in the northern parts of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
Small groups are registered in the north-east of Franz Josef Land, very rarely - between Kolyma and Cape Barrow. This is due to the lack of food - there are few cephalopods here. Stations "North Pole" registered groups of narwhals north of Wrangel Island. They live in cold waters along the edges of the Arctic ice, making seasonal migrations: in summer - to the north, and in winter - to the south.
The meat of water unicorns is eaten by the peoples of the north. They also use the fat of these animals as a means for a lamp (wick). The intestines are used to make ropes, twine. But the mysterious horn, or tusk, is especially valuable. Northern craftsmen make various crafts from it.
Population
Animal narwhal - a small species that is on the verge of extinction. In the Middle Ages, because of its horn, which, according to shamans, has magical powers, these mammals were destroyed in huge numbers.
Even today, an unusual tusk can cause an animal to be killed. They are hunted by the Eskimos. While hand-held harpoons were used for hunting in the old days, today motor boats and automatic devices are used to kill narwhals.
Everyone who raises their hand to this rare animal needs to know that these are living indicators of the ecosystem, they feel the slightest climate change, are sensitive to environmental pollution.
