narwhal

7 Stories

This May Be the First Evidence of Narwhals Playing
The Narwal's
Signature Tusk
May Be Multipurpose
NEW STUDY
Mar 13, 2025 9:23 AM CDT

The Narwal's Signature Tusk May Be Multipurpose

It could have uses in foraging and play, in addition to mating

(Newser) - What is the point of a narwhal's signature tusk, which is actually just one, long spiraled tooth? The answer may be multifaceted, according to new research. Prior research indicates the lengthy tooth, rarely seen in females, is a sexual display, used to communicate a male's fertility —the...

You've Never Seen a Puppy Quite Like This

Narwhal has an extra tail, between his eyes

(Newser) - An injured puppy found out in the cold in Missouri over the weekend has been appropriately named Narwhal for the tiny "unicorn horn" between his eyes. It's actually a second tail, about a third of the size of his actual tail, that serves no other purpose than making...

In This Beluga Pod, One Does Not Belong

Narwhal gains new family in St. Lawrence River

(Newser) - The video appears to show a pod of young belugas splashing playfully in Canada's St. Lawrence River. But then a speckled body breaks the water's surface, standing out among the bright white whales. The narwhal, swimming more than 600 miles south of its usual Arctic homeland, "behaves...

3 Species Were Known to Go Through Menopause. Now It's 5

Aside from humans, they're all similar in one way

(Newser) - Menopause isn't a distinctly human condition—and now scientists have discovered two more species that experience it and then live well beyond it, bringing the total number to five. The four non-human species that go through menopause are similar in that they're all toothed whales. The new study,...

Narwhals 'See' Unlike Any Other Species
Narwhals 'See' Unlike
Any Other Species
NEW STUDY
Nov 10, 2016 7:25 AM CST

Narwhals 'See' Unlike Any Other Species

Directional sonar helps them find areas free of ice

(Newser) - Whales need to surface in order to breathe, and the narwhal is no different. Every four to six minutes, the Arctic whale—including males with a long tooth resembling a horn—must emerge from the depths of Baffin Bay between Baffin Island and Greenland, where 80% of all narwhals winter,...

What Narwhal's Famed Tusk Has to Do With Its Testicles

Researchers find there's a size correlation

(Newser) - The narwhal's distinctive tusk is actually a tooth, one that can grow to nearly 10 feet in length. It's almost never found on females, and researchers have a new theory as to why: It may communicate a male's fertility to its tusk-less counterparts. Researchers pored over anatomical...

BBC Film Crew Captures 'Arctic Unicorns'

Elusive narwhals tracked on icy migration

(Newser) - A BBC crew has captured on film a hauntingly majestic pod of narwhals, their unicorn-like tusks slicing through Arctic waters. It's believed to be the first such film of the mysterious, elusive mammals, reports the BBC. The aerial team spotted the animals last summer as they negotiated their way through...

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