Narwhal (Monodon monoceros)
"Bye Buddy. Hope you find your dad."
By: Bryce Novarro and Lauren Foutch
Apperance
Narwhals are medium-sized whales, and are around the same size as beluga whales. They have an ivory tusk tooth that grows right through their upper lip. The tusk is only on male Narwhal's. Narwhal's are pale colored. Total length in both sexes, excluding the tusk of the male, can range from 3.95 to 5.5 .
Diet
Narwhals have a relatively restricted and specialized diet. They mainly eat Greenland hailbut , polar and Arctic Cod, cuttlefish. narwhals are believed to feed by swimming towards prey until it is within close range and then sucking it with considerable force into the mouth.
Threats
Narwhals are hunted primarily by polar bears and orcas. Inuit people are allowed to hunt this mammal legally. The habitat of the narwhal is greatly threatened by effects of climate change and pollution.
Reproduction
There is not much reproductive information about narwhals based on where they live. A female reaches sexual maturity from ages 6-8, and the male reaches maturity at nine years old. The narwhal usually has a birthing interval of about 3 years, and the yearly birth rate for this mammal is 0.07.
Communication
As with most toothed whales, narwhals use sound to navigate and hunt for food. "Clicks", "whistles" and "knocks", may be created via air between chambers near the blow-hole, and reflected off the sloping front of the skull. These sounds are then focused by the animal's melon, which can be controlled by musculature. The whistles of a narwhal are rarely heard, especially compared to the beluga. Other sounds produced by narwhals include trumpeting and squeaking door sounds.[