Narwhals are medium to large whales with a long, straight over-shot or "tusk" from their left upper jaw and one in their right. They feed primarily on squid and small fish by stabbing them with their tusks, which are up to a meter long.
Narwhals have a single blowhole located in the center of their forehead that they use to breathe when they dive at high speeds. The males usually live alone, while females generally live with one or two other female narwhals.
There is more to learn about the Narwhal, and the information below will be helpful:
Characteristics of the Narwhal
- The Narwhal is usually between 4 and 5 meters long but can reach up to 5.5 meters.
- Narwhals weigh around 2 tons when they are fully grown.
- Adult males have long, straight tusks that protrude from their upper jaw, while females have small ones that are not visible externally.
- Their teeth are flat and pointed, which is ideal for eating squid and fish.
Interesting Facts about the Narwhal
- The tusk that the Narwhal has is a reasonably large tooth.
- The tusk is made of ivory and can be found on males and females alike, but male narwhals' tusks are larger than those of female narwhals.
- Narwhals suck prey into their mouth and swallow them wholly
Really fascinating, since this is the first time I have ever heard of, seen a picture of, and even learned all of these interesting facts about this aquatic mammal, that I would otherwise never have even known to exist!
This article is not factual. I just came back from a narwhal trip in Nunavut, Canada in the Arctic. The tusk is NOT ivory, it is the upper left maxillary canine tooth, it has millions of tiny holes and nerve endings that take in information.. They do not stab fish, they may stun them but the primary use of the tusk is taking in chemical information from the water to help them find females and monitor water temperature, pressure and salinity and to impress females. They travel in pods of 15-20, and up to hundreds while migrating. I know this isn’t a scientific article, but your facts are not correct, especially that the tusk is ivory, it is not. It is irresponsible to spread information that is not true.