The English name of the narwhal is narwhal or narwhale, the scientific name is Monodon monocerus. This is a medium-sized whale, they are famous for their shape like having a long spiraling horn in front of their head, which makes many people think of mythical unicorns.
The part that looks like a narwhal’s horn is actually a special tooth. This is a spirally developed canine and elongated protrusion, similar to ivory.
A male narwhal has only one tusk that elongates. The tusk grows throughout the life of the narwhal and reaches a length of 1.5 to 3.1 m with a weight of about 10 kg.
Most male narwhals have left tusks, only about 1 in 500 males develop right tusks. Meanwhile, only 15% of female narwhals have tusks.
The tusks of the female are smaller and not spiral. Only one previously documented case of a female narwhal had two tusks. The narwhal’s tusk does not play a big role in life.
Females without long teeth still live as long as males. Many other theories have been put forward about its uses such as breaking ice, sensing temperature, navigating or hunting… However, these theories have not really been proven.
In the Middle Ages, it was believed that cutting the horns of a narwhal and grinding them into a powder could cure all diseases. Not only that, the narwhal’s horn is also used in many works of art. The Danish king’s throne in the 1600s was also decorated with narwhal teeth.
Today, their beauty and rarity are still hunted by the super-rich. Estimates of the price of narwhal tusks range from $4,000-15,700 and are often compared to gold.
Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) once paid the equivalent of a castle to own rare narwhal tusks . So, to make a profit, people have hunted and hunted narwhals a lot.
Although the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not classify narwhals as immediately endangered, the 75,000 individuals alive today in the wild are still potentially threatened.
Besides, this animal is affected by global warming. As the Earth warms, the lower Arctic sea ice cover will make the narwhal more vulnerable to both hunting by humans and natural predators like fish. killer elephant.
Unicorns can live up to 50 years. They hide under ice or stay underwater for long periods of time to escape predators, instead of running away. Natural enemies of narwhals are polar bears, walruses, killer whales and Greenland sharks.
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