Meet the narwhal — ‘unicorn of the sea’ famous for its long tusk
Their remote Arctic habitat makes them difficult to study.
The tusk is hollow and packed with up to 10 million nerve endings (Ai generated image) A whale with a horn-like tusk sticking out of its head sounds like something from a fantasy novel. But the narwhal is very real!
Found in the icy waters of the Arctic, this unusual marine mammal is often called the “unicorn of the sea” because of its long, spiral tusk, which can grow up to 3 metres in length. For centuries, the tusk fascinated explorers and even inspired myths about unicorns.
But despite appearances, the narwhal’s famous tusk isn’t a horn at all. It’s actually an enlarged tooth that grows through the whale’s upper lip.
Most male narwhals develop a single tusk, though a few grow two. Females can occasionally develop tusks as well, but this is much less common. For years, scientists debated what these tusks were used for. Research now suggests they serve several functions. Packed with millions of nerve endings, the tusk can help narwhals detect changes in their environment, including water temperature and salinity.
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