Narwhal – The unicorn of the sea

Meet the unicorn of the Arctic sea! This beautiful whale definitely looks like it belongs in a world of magical creatures, doesn’t it? Then again, the ocean IS a magical world of its own. Unlike the unicorn horn, the male narwhal’s tusk does not grow from its forehead. It is actually a long spiral-shaped canine tooth! In rare cases, females can develop one, and some males even have two. The tusk keeps growing throughout life and can grow up to about 2.7 meters (almost 9 feet). That’s about as long as 84 2x4 LEGO® bricks! Imagine how long your arms would have to be to brush THAT tooth every morning and evening… But why does the narwhal have its tusk? The most obvious purpose may be to knock out a nice little fish to eat for dinner. The tusk has millions of nerve endings, so it may be also used for detecting food, threats or ocean currents, keeping track of the family, navigating, fighting or breaking through ice. Five Fun Facts: - Home: The waters near Greenland, Canada and Russia - Years on Earth: 10 million - Favorite food: Fish, squid, shrimp - Size: up to 5 meters (more than 16 feet) long. That’s 156 2x4 LEGO® bricks long! - Environmental threats: Narwhals feed on marine life found in icy waters, but climate change is causing the Arctic ice areas to shrink fast. Like most whales, they are also very sensitive to noise pollution from big ships and drilling. Want to become a Sea Life Friend? Here’s how: 1. Push the purple pledge button 2. Download, print and sign the pledge to do your best to take care of the sea and all life inside it! Thank you for being an amazing Sea Life Friend! Sources: https://endangerednarwhals.org/evolutionary-history/