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You may have heard of unicorns. They look like horses, but with a pointy horn on their forehead. They’re popular as stuffies and cartoon characters. Narwhals, which are real-life kinds of whales, are often called the “unicorns of the sea.”
Male narwhals have a long tusk. But unlike a unicorn’s horn, their tusk is actually a tooth. Remember getting your first permanent tooth? It poked through your gums and grew to fill the space left behind by your baby tooth. Then it stopped growing. Not so for narwhals. Their tusk keeps growing for life! One way scientists can figure out a narwhal’s age is by measuring its tusk.
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▲ Narwhals live in the Arctic Ocean, mainly around Canada, Greenland, and eastern Russia. Most grow to be between 12 and 17 feet long. They may weigh more than a ton. Almost half of their body is made up of blubber, or fat. This helps keep them warm enough to survive the frigid waters of the Arctic.
A narwhal’s tusk grows straight through its upper lip. It can be 10 feet long. The tusk contains millions of nerve endings. Some scientists believe the nerves help it sense its surroundings. How warm or cold is the water? How salty is it? Is there a tasty meal nearby? Others believe the tusk is only for attracting a mate. ▶
▲ Narwhals can dive deeper than most other animals. Almost a mile down. At that depth, water pressing on their body is great enough to break bones. But it doesn’t. That’s because a narwhal’s ribs can be squeezed without being harmed. What’s more, narwhals can hold their breath for over 20 minutes.
Narwhals swim in pods, or groups. In winter, pods are small, between 2 and 10 individuals. In summer, several hundred may join together in a pod.
▲ Traditionally, scientists figured out how old a narwhal was by counting the growth layers on its tusk. They also studied their eyes. A narwhal’s eyes change with time. Scientists can use these changes to figure out a narwhal’s age. Narwhals are thought to live about 50 years. Some research suggests they can live to 100 or more.
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How does technology help scientists learn about narwhals?
Narwhals are hard to study, but new technology helps. Drones help scientists observe narwhals. This includes the complex ways they use their tusk – for exploration and possibly even for play. Artificial intelligence studies data from sounds. This helps scientists predict narwhals’ feeding behavior. Underwater microphones and satellites help scientists understand narwhals’ movements.
