Dangerous, but not practical: why did nature endow the narwhal with a specific horn? (6 photos)

Narwhal is a representative of the family of cetacean mammals, which is distinguished from its fellows by the presence of a specific spiral-shaped tusk.





Against the backdrop of the impressive size and weight (up to 4.5 meters and 3 tons, respectively) of the animal, it looks something alien - too elegant and fragile. They are difficult to both attack and defend due to their great length and thinness.

This growth is present only in adult males, but sometimes there are exceptions - females who also have a tusk. Its length can reach 3 meters and weighs 10 kg. Some narwhals have two tusks, one larger and one smaller.



In reality, this horn is a tooth. All the nerve endings of which are located not inside, but on the outside. The structure of the fabric is porous, resembling many interconnected tubes. The dental pulp contains a mass of nerve endings that are connected to the brain.

We all know how painfully the nerve endings of a damaged tooth react to mechanical stress, hot, cold, or even ordinary air. Imagine what a poor narwhal has to feel with such a colossal tooth, constantly faced with temperature fluctuations in water and changes in its chemical composition?

But every cloud has a silver lining: narwhals successfully use their teeth to search for food and sense the slightest changes in the composition of the water, which allows them to quickly respond to them.

Tooth out





But what is the meaning of this strange organ? Why is it located outside the animal's mouth? There are no teeth in the narwhal's mouth. And of the two fangs, one (usually the right one) remains in the skull, while the left one breaks through the gums, forming a spiral-shaped tusk.

In addition to pinning small fish with it, narwhals use the tusk to crush ice and loosen the seabed in search of food. This organ also plays a role in attracting the attention of the opposite sex.

Stealth is everything



The narwhal is distinguished by a specific skin color - the so-called “cadaveric” spotting. On the belly, white color predominates, while the back and sides are a kind of mosaic consisting of spots of black, gray and white. With age, white becomes more and more abundant, so older animals can easily be confused with their close relative, the beluga whale.

Narwhals have relatively small heads, and a small ridge runs along their backs, which serves as a camouflage function. When surfacing, it is almost invisible, so it is very difficult to find a marine inhabitant. And they breathe, unlike whales, which release noticeable jets of warm air, very carefully and unnoticeably.

Extreme fan



The habitat of narwhals is the coast of Canada, Norway, Greenland and the Arctic Ocean. They are the only whales that winter in the ice.

If necessary, narwhals can dive to depths of up to 1000 meters. In general, they are peaceful, but it is better not to anger sea inhabitants unnecessarily: cases have been recorded when angry ocean inhabitants sank fishing boats.



They clean their amazing tusks with the help of their relatives - they rub against each other, getting rid of dirt and growths. In the Middle Ages, the horns of narwhals were often passed off as the horns of unicorns (which, in general, no one had ever seen) and were endowed with the ability to detect poison: it was believed that a piece of tooth thrown into a poisoned drink changed color.

These creatures do not live in captivity: they quickly fall into melancholy and depression and soon die.