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(#1) Narwhal Tusk Size Is Related To Testicle Size
It's hard to make sense of narwhal tusks. Most male narwhals have them, but not all. A small portion of females have them, too, but they're smaller. Is there any connection between tusks and narwhal behavior? Not really; narwhals with and without tusks appear to eat the same, and tuskless narwhals survive just as well as those with them. So... what gives?
Scientists are unclear about a lot of this, but one thing is for sure: the bigger the tusk, the bigger the testicles. And tusks may play a role in which male narwhal females choose to mate with. That's a fact. -
(#2) Narwhal Blubber Tastes Like Hazelnuts
Do you enjoy Nutella? You might want to check out narwhal! A layer of narwhal skin and blubber eaten raw (an Inuit delicacy) supposedly tastes like hazelnuts. Narwhal meat (called mattak) is still a vital source of food for people and dogs in Greenland. -
(#9) Narwhal Means 'Corpse Whale'
Cool band name alert: "Narwhal" comes from an old Norse word meaning "corpse whale." Why "corpse whale"? Narwhals have black and white mottled skin, so some think "corpse whale" refers to their resemblance to the bodies of drowned sailors. Others think it may refer to their habit of "logging," which means lying inactive (like a corpse) just below the surface of the water. -
(#6) Narwhal Tusks May Actually Be Sensory Organs
Scientists don't know for sure what, exactly, a narwhal uses its tusk for, but some of the latest research suggests it may be a sensory organ. A narwhal's tusk is heavily enervated, meaning it's super-sensitive. This makes researchers think narwhals may use their tusks as built-in weather stations, detecting changes in temperature and barometric pressure.
Rubbing tusks together may also be a pleasurable activity for male narwhals. They may also be used for mating rituals with females.
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(#8) No One Has Ever Seen A Narwhal Eat
Scientists only know what narwhals eat (halibut, cod, shrimp, squid, and not much else) because they have examined the contents of their stomachs. Otherwise, they wouldn't know for sure because no one has ever seen a narwhal eat.
Narwhals eat, we assume, at great depths in total blackness, underneath great sheets of ice, so humans have never witnessed them feeding.
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(#16) Narwhals Change Color As They Age
Much like human hair can get white or silver as we age, narwhal skin changes as they age. Senior narwhals, in fact, are almost entirely white. Middle-aged adults, meanwhile, are a mottled black and white. Juveniles are blue-black while newborns enter the world a blue-gray color.
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A kind of whale in the world, with 2-3 meters long and sharp horns on its head which can easily pierce anything. They do not like to play on the surface of oceans like other whales, nor are they notorious for attacking humans like some whales. It is narwhals that were regarded as one of the most mysterious species in the Arctic Ocean. Their appearance is so incredible and becomes a unique creature in the deep sea.
The most striking feature of narwhals is the long teeth protruding from their heads, which not only be used as weapons but also as a symbol of family status. Here the random tool introduced 19 fascinating things about narwals that most people do not know.
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