Has anyone ever seen a Narwhal Whale?
@bacardibarbiebabe (627)
United States
December 13, 2006 3:22pm CST
The Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is an Arctic species of cetacean. It is a creature rarely found south of latitude 70°N. It is one of two species of whale in the Monodontidae family (the other is the beluga whale). It is possibly also related to the Irrawaddy dolphin.
The name "Narwhal" is derived from the Old Norse word náhvalr, meaning "corpse whale". This probably is a reference to the mottled white and grey colouring of the skin of the adult. It may also refer to the way a narwhal can lie belly up, motionless, for a few minutes at a time. The Narwhal is also commonly known as the moon whale.
Look at the picture of this thing, its crazy scary!
1 person likes this
20 responses
@peaceful (3294)
• United States
13 Dec 06
I'm such a big fan of unusual animals! Here is the link to a whole lot of Narwhal photos:
http://www.narwhal.info/cgi-bin/displayit2.cgi/images/Photos
@bacardibarbiebabe (627)
• United States
14 Dec 06
Me too! I love them. They say this is where the legend of the unicorn comes from!
@raisushkr (1398)
• India
14 Dec 06
no i havent seen .i have never even seen a normal whale no oceans near my locality
@angelicEmu (1311)
•
14 Dec 06
I thought Narwhals were extinct now. It's nice to know I was wrong! I've seen drawings of them, and they're beautiful - like a sea-unicorn!
@Lindalinda (4111)
• Canada
14 Dec 06
I have never seen one in person only on TV. They are magnificent animals. I was on Baffin Island (the Arctic) once but did not see any whales. But I bought a soapstone carving of a narwhal from a native Inuit. The tusk is mande of ivory. It sits on my fireplace mantle.
@jonastabuena (2307)
• Philippines
14 Dec 06
i never seen such kind of creature before, but i would like too, hope can see one someday.
@AlmightyBigfoot888 (553)
• United States
14 Dec 06
once, but i forget where....
sea world maybe? (doesn't seem right though)
@gopal_85 (509)
• India
14 Dec 06
no i had not seen any whale in my life until now i think and i will see it in future
@perfectkiller (341)
• Pakistan
14 Dec 06
whale with a long tusk?only seen in pics and vids not in real.:)
@bentodd2000 (77)
• United States
14 Dec 06
I have never seen one but I hear their horns people used to think came from unicorns.
@shadowauror (1515)
• India
13 Dec 06
The most conspicuous characteristic of male narwhals is their single extraordinarily long tusk, which is a tooth that projects from the left side of the upper jaw and forms a left-handed helix. The tusk can be up to 3 m (nearly 10 ft) long (compared with a body length of 4–5 m [13–16 ft]) and weigh up to 10 kg (22 lb). One in 500 males has two tusks, which occurs when the right tooth, normally small, also grows out. Although rare, a female narwhal may also produce a tusk.
The purpose of the tusk has been the subject of much debate. Early scientific theories supposed that the tusk was used to pierce the ice covering of the narwhal's Arctic Sea habitat. Others suggested the tusk was used in echolocation. More recently, scientists believed the tusk is primarily used for showmanship and for dominance: males with larger tusks are more likely to successfully attract a mate. This hypothesis was suggested by the activity of "tusking", in which two males rub their tusks together.
@peaceful (3294)
• United States
13 Dec 06
It is one of the awe-inspiring sights on Earth! :) I so love the variety of Life here on our planet! :)
Here is a link to images of those awesome tusks!
http://www.arcticartsales.com/narwhale_tusk.html
