Unicorn from the deep sea 6 letters. Narwhal sea unicorn
narwhals(lat. Monodon monoceros) is a protected rare species belonging to the family unicorns and listed due to the small number in the Red Book of Russia. The habitat of this marine animal is the waters of the Arctic Ocean, as well as the North Atlantic.
The size of an adult male often reaches 4.5 meters, with a mass of about one and a half tons. Females weigh slightly less. The head of an adult narwhal is round, with a large bumpy forehead, and there is no dorsal fin. Narwhals are somewhat reminiscent of beluga whales, although compared to the latter, the animals have a somewhat spotty skin and 2 upper teeth, one of which, growing, turns into a three-meter tusk weighing up to ten kg.
The tusk of the narwhal, twisted to the left in the form of a spiral, is quite rigid, but has a certain limit of flexibility and can bend up to thirty centimeters. Previously, it was often passed off as a unicorn horn, which has healing powers. It was believed that if you throw a piece of narwhal horn into a glass of poisoned wine, it will change its color.
At present, there is a hypothesis that is very popular in scientific circles, proving that the narwhal horn, covered with sensitive endings, is needed by an animal in order to measure water temperature, pressure and other equally important parameters of the aquatic environment for life.
live narwhals most often in small groups of up to ten animals. The basis of the diet of narwhals, which, by the way, can hunt at a depth of more than a kilometer, is cephalopods and bottom fish. The enemies of narwhals in nature can be called other inhabitants of these territories - polar bears and killer whales.
However, the greatest damage to the population of narwhals was still caused by a person who hunted them because of their tasty meat and horn, which is successfully used to make various handicrafts. At present, animals are under the protection of the state.
An inhabitant of the Arctic seas with the scientific name Monodon Linnaeus - Unicorn. This is the rarest whale in the world - a mysterious creature of the ocean.
The narwhal has a large horn, tusk, which makes the whale unique and special. In the male, the tooth turns into a tusk twisted in a spiral (2-3 m long and weighing up to 10 kg).
Narwhal tusk is strong, flexible (it can bend in any direction without breaking).
The remaining teeth in males and females do not develop into tusks (hidden in the gums). Broken tusks do not grow back, and the tooth canal of the lost tusk is closed with a bone filling.
None of the cetaceans (and the whole world of mammals) have nothing like this.
Facts about narwhal
The population of Narwhal around the world is only 45,000 - 30,000 individuals. There are no exact data. Animals are rare (monotypic species), their number is very small.
Narwhal loves to eat cephalopods, squid, shrimp, bottom fish (usually cod, rays, halibut, flounder, gobies).
A similar animal with a similar diet is humpback whales.
To meet a narwhal, you need to go into the waters of the Russian Arctic or the Atlantic Ocean. Animals have a habit of traveling in the eastern part of Russia and off the coast of Greenland.
The narwhal is a slow animal. Most scientists agree that narwhals are slow animals. But they can swim at high speed if they feel threatened by predators. Animals can dive to a depth of 1.5 km (5,000 ft).
During the winter months, narwhals live under the ice. When the summer season comes, they move towards the shore.
A group of narwhals, usually 6-10 individuals with cubs. In large herds of 100-150 heads, narwhals gather during the migration period.
Narwhals are social animals. They do not like loneliness: they travel in groups and are very "talkative".
They communicate using sounds, just like belugas do.
When narwhals communicate with other group members, they will use different types of sounds. It can be whistling, trills, sighs, lowing, clicks, squeaks, gurgling.
The narwhal cleans its tusk by crossing with the tusks of other members of the group. This is a sign of teeth cleaning, friendly contact or duel.
The mating season starts from March to May. The gestation period is 16 months. The female Narwhal delivers 1 calf in the litter. When a calf is born, it has a brown body color. The female gives birth to a calf every three years.
The life expectancy of the narwhal whale in nature is 55 years; and in captivity - 4 months. There are no reports of narwhal breeding in captivity. This indicates that the narwhal does not accept restrictions on its freedom (it dies in captivity). It cannot be kept and bred in an aquarium or marine farm.
The main hunters of the narwhal whale are killer whales and polar bears. Polar sharks prey on narwhal cubs. Man also loves to hunt narwhal.
The population of the narwhal is declining not only because of predators, but also due to climate change and environmental pollution. They are vulnerable because food becomes limited.
The main mystery of narwhals is their horn, tusk. What is its main function, it was not possible to establish exactly.
One of the latest versions is that it is a sense organ, a kind of locator. Perhaps with its help, the animal evaluates the characteristics of water - temperature, flow rate, the presence of suspended particles.
Sea unicorns keep their secrets securely. And artists around the world do not get tired of being inspired by their mysterious and unusual appearance.
The underwater world is inhabited by a huge number of unusual inhabitants. A special place among them is occupied by the narwhal - a mammal belonging to the suborder of toothed whales, the Narwhal family, known due to the presence of a long straight tusk in males.
This rare species of whales has not yet been fully studied, therefore it is of great interest to researchers.
Narwhal: description of the animal
A powerful animal, whose body length sometimes exceeds five meters, and weighs more than a ton. The bulk is made up of adipose tissue, which is vital for the narwhal to survive in the icy Arctic waters. Males are much larger than females, almost one and a half times. Animal narwhal outwardly resembles whales or dolphins: they have a very large head, almost round, but at the same time a disproportionately small mouth, there is no dorsal fin.
The narwhal, whose photo can be seen in many publications for nature lovers, has a non-uniform color: its body is covered with dark gray spots on a light gray background. Compared to other cetaceans, the male narwhal looks unusual due to its twisted, huge tusk-horn, which often reaches three meters in length.
In fact, this animal has two horns, but the second one is practically undeveloped, it is difficult to see it with the naked eye. Only 0.5% of narwhals can boast two full-fledged tusks. In other cases, the second dies as unnecessary.
In most cases, the female narwhal does not have a horn, however, isolated cases of the appearance of a tusk have been recorded in the beautiful half of the narwhals, but scientists cannot yet explain what caused this phenomenon.
narwhal tusk
As we have already said, the animal narwhal has a huge spindle-shaped outgrowth, which is called a tusk or horn. Why does the narwhal need it? The first thing that comes to mind is to protect against enemies, because it looks intimidating: an impressive size, a pointed shape. In fact, everything is different.
What is commonly called the horn of a narwhal is actually a left front tooth that has changed in the process of evolution, which has transformed into a tusk. It is hollow and quite light, its weight does not exceed 10 kg. The tusk is never used for protection from enemies or attacks on the victim.
The males of these water giants often arrange a kind of "knightly fights": they rub their tusks. Many scientists believe that in this way, the narwhal, whose photo you see below, is fighting for leadership in the group or fighting for the female.
In 2006, another interesting version appeared. Researcher Martin Nwiya, based on his observations, came to the conclusion that the tusk of the narwhal is a hypersensitive organ that contains many nerve endings. It is he who allows the animal to feel changes in pressure and temperature, the concentration of suspended particles in the water. And friction with tusks is not a mating match, but an opportunity to get rid of the formed growths.
Habitat
Of all cetaceans, the narwhal animal lives in the northernmost regions between 70 and 80 ° north latitude. Unlike their relatives, these whales are more demanding on their habitat, and therefore have a limited range. This representative of cetaceans is rarely found far from loose ice. They prefer deep waters. The largest populations of these animals are concentrated in the Davis Strait, the Greenland Sea, and the Baffin Sea.
Narwhal is often found in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (in the northern parts), north of Svalbard and Franz Josef Land. It is extremely rare to find a narwhal between Cape Barrow and the mouth of the Kolyma River, since there are few cephalopods in these places.
Narwhals prefer cold waters near the edge of the Arctic ice. Every year they make seasonal migrations: in winter they go south, and in summer they go north. In summer, narwhals settle in deeper bays and fjords. The most famous and probably the largest population in the world lives in deep bays in the east of the Canadian Arctic.
Below the seventieth degree of northern latitude, outside the polar waters, narwhals rarely go out, mainly in winter. In winter, these whales have adapted to live in the waters among the ice. When the polynyas are completely frozen, the males break the five-centimeter ice from below, striking with their tusks and backs. Through such a hole, all members of the herd can breathe.
When the ice begins to move, the leads close up, and individual groups of animals are trapped in small polynyas. Narwhals are trying to escape to the surface to take a breath of air. Probably, in such situations, many of them die.
Lifestyle
Animal narwhal can live both alone and in small groups, 6-8 adult males or females with cubs. Once upon a time, these whales formed large colonies of several hundred, and sometimes thousands of heads, and today their number rarely exceeds a hundred. Like other cetaceans, narwhals communicate with a variety of sounds, rather sharp, reminiscent of a whistle, in addition, they can make groans, lowing, clicks, gurgles and even squeaks.
reproduction
It is known that the female's pregnancy lasts almost 16 months, mating takes place from March to May, and the birth of cubs the next year in July-August. Narwhals are copulated in a vertical position. The birth of cubs occurs tail first.
Usually one baby appears, but at the same time, cases of the birth of twins are officially recorded. Newborns are painted black, they acquire spotting with age. The body length of the cubs at birth is up to 1.7 meters, weight - about 80 kg. The layer of subcutaneous fat of the baby is more than 25 mm. The duration of lactation is not exactly known, but there is an assumption that it is about 20 months, like in beluga whales. The interval between births is three years. Physical maturity occurs between the ages of four and seven.
Food
The marine animal narwhal feeds on cephalopods, much less often on fish and crustaceans, eating most often benthic representatives of the ichthyofauna (stingray, cod, flounder, halibut, gobies). In search of food, these giants descend to a kilometer depth and stay under water for a long time. From the ground of bottom fish, these whales scare using tusks.
population
Until now, the exact number of narwhals has not been established. This is primarily due to the fact that it is very difficult to observe and study these animals, since they live in places that are difficult for humans to access. According to rough estimates of scientists, about 50 thousand individuals live on Earth. The decrease in numbers is associated with pollution of the oceans, fishing and poaching. The peoples of Greenland and Canada still kill these rare animals, use their fat and meat for food, and various souvenirs are made from tusks.
A natural factor that seriously affects the number of narwhals is the attack of predators: killer whales, polar bears, sharks and walruses.
Animals of the Red Book of Russia: narwhal
Narwhal is a marine mammal listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation as a "rare, small species." Hunting and trapping of narwhals is prohibited in Russia. These animals are indicators of the well-being of the ecosystem: they are sensitive to the slightest changes in climatic conditions, as well as to environmental pollution.
The narwhal is listed in the International Red Book as a “species close to a vulnerable position”. In Greenland and Canada, there are restrictive measures that apply to hunting individuals with cubs and pregnant females, there is a special quota for catching them.
Animal narwhal is a marine mammal that belongs to the narwhal family. It belongs to the order of cetaceans. This is a very remarkable animal. Narwhals owe their fame to the presence of a long horn (tusk). It is 3 meters long and sticks out straight from the mouth.
Appearance and features of narwhal
An adult narwhal reaches a length of about 4.5 meters, and a calf 1.5 meters. At the same time, males weigh about 1.5 tons, and females - 900 kg. More than half of the weight of the animal is fat deposits. Outwardly, narwhals look like belugas.
A distinctive feature of the narwhal is the presence of a tusk, which is often referred to as a horn. The weight of the tusk is about 10 kg. The tusks themselves are very strong and can bend to the sides for a distance of 30 cm.
To date, the functions of the tusk have not been studied for certain. Previously, it was assumed that the narwhal needed it to attack the victim, as well as so that the animal could break through the ice crust. But modern science has proven the groundlessness of this theory. There are two more theories:
The tusk helps males in attracting females during mating games, as narwhals love to rub their tusks against each other. Although, in accordance with another theory, narwhals rub their horns to clean them of growths and various mineral deposits. Males also need tusks during mating competitions.
Narwhal Tusk- this is a very sensitive organ, there are many nerve endings on its surface, so the second theory is that the tusk is necessary for the animal to determine the water temperature, ambient pressure, electromagnetic frequencies. He also warns his relatives about the danger.
Narwhals are characterized by a rounded head, small eyes, a large, massive forehead, a small, low-lying mouth. The shade of the body is slightly lighter than the shade of the head. The belly is light. There are many gray-brown spots on the back and sides of the animal.
Narwhals have absolutely no teeth. Only on the upper jaw there are two rudiments. In males, over time, the left tooth turns into a tusk. In the process of its growth, it pierces the upper lip.
The tusks curl clockwise and somewhat resemble a corkscrew. Scientists have not figured out why the tusk grows on the left side. It still remains an unfathomable mystery. In rare cases, both teeth can transform into horns in a narwhal. Then it will be two-horned, as seen in narwhal animal photo.
The right tooth of the narwhal is hidden in the upper gum and does not have any effect on the life of the animal. However, science certainly knows that if sea unicorn narwhal breaks his horn, then the wound in its place will be covered with bone tissue, and a new horn will no longer grow in that place.
Such animals continue to live a full life, without experiencing any discomfort from the absence of a horn. Another feature sea animal narwhal is the absence of a dorsal fin. It swims with the help of lateral fins and a powerful tail.
Narwhal habitat
Narwhals are animals of the Arctic. It is the cold habitat that explains the presence of a large layer of subcutaneous fat in these animals. The favorite places of these peculiar mammals are the waters of the Arctic Ocean, the region of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Greenland, near Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land. In the cold season, they can be found in the White and Bering Seas.
The nature and lifestyle of the narwhal
Narwhals are inhabitants of the waters among the ice. autumn arctic unicorns narwhals migrate south. They find polynyas in the ice that covers the water. The whole herd of narwhals breathes through these polynyas. If the polynya is covered with ice, then the males break the ice with their heads. In summer, animals, on the contrary, move in a northerly direction.
Narwhal feels great at a depth of up to 500 meters. Narwhal can stay at sea depth without air for 25 minutes. Narwhals are herd animals. They form small flocks: 6-10 individuals. They communicate with sounds, like beluga whales. The enemies of arctic animals are and, for cubs, the polar ones are dangerous.
Narwhal nutrition
Sea unicorns feed on deep sea fish species such as polar cod, polar cod, sea red. They also love cephalopods, squids and. They hunt at depths up to 1 km.
The functional teeth of the narwhal, according to scientists, are used to suck in and throw out a stream of water. This makes it possible to dislodge prey, such as mollusks or benthic. Narwhals have very flexible necks, allowing them to explore large areas and capture moving prey.
Reproduction and lifespan of narwhal
Reproduction in these mammals is slow. They reach puberty when they reach the age of five. An interval of 3 years is observed between births. Mating season is spring. Pregnancy lasts 15.3 months. As a rule, female sea unicorns give birth to one cub, very rarely two. The cubs are large in size, their length is about 1.5 meters.
After giving birth, females unite in a separate flock (10-15 individuals). Males live in a separate flock (10-12 individuals). The duration of lactation is not exactly known by scientists. But it is assumed that, like belugas, it is about 20 months. Copulation occurs in a belly to belly position. Cubs are born tail first.
Narwhal is a free-spirited animal. In freedom, he is characterized by a long life expectancy, approximately 55 years. They do not live in captivity. The narwhal begins to languish and die within a few weeks. The maximum lifespan of a narwhal in captivity was 4 months. Narwhals never breed in captivity.
The unicorn exists, but he does not live in fairy forests, but in the icy waters of the Arctic, and his name is narwhal. This toothed whale is armed with a straight horn (tusk), often equal to half the length of a powerful body.
Description of the narwhal
Monodon monoceros is a member of the narwhal family, representing the only species in the narwhal genus.. In addition to it, in the family of narwhals (Monodontidae) there is only a white whale, which has similar morphological and immunological characteristics.
Appearance
The narwhal is related to the beluga whale not only by the size / shape of the body - both whales have no dorsal fin, the same pectoral fins and ... cubs (the beluga whale gives birth to dark blue offspring, which turns white as they grow older). An adult narwhal grows up to 4.5 m with a mass of 2-3 tons. Ketologists assure that this is not the limit - with luck, you can get 6-meter specimens.
About a third of the weight is fat, and the fat layer itself (protecting the animal from the cold) is about 10 cm. The mouth of a narwhal is relatively small, and the upper lip slightly overlaps the fleshy lower one, which is completely devoid of teeth.
Important! The narwhal could be considered completely toothless, if not for a pair of rudimentary teeth found in the upper jaw. The right one is cut through extremely rarely, and the left one turns into the famous 2-3-meter tusk, completed in a left-handed spiral.
Despite its impressive appearance and weight (up to 10 kg), the tusk is extremely strong and flexible - its end is able to bend 0.3 m without the threat of being broken. However, the tusks sometimes break off and then do not grow back, and their dental canals are tightly sealed with bone fillings. The role of the dorsal fin is performed by a low (up to 5 cm) leathery fold (0.75 m in length), located on a barely convex back. The pectoral fins of the narwhal are wide but short.
The sexually mature narwhal differs from its closest relative (the beluga whale) in its recognizable spotted coloration. Against the general light background of the body (on the head, flanks, and back), there are many irregularly shaped dark spots up to 5 cm in diameter. The spots often merge, especially on the upper areas of the head/neck and caudal peduncle, creating uniform dark areas. Young narwhals are usually painted in monochrome - bluish-gray, black-gray or slate.
Character and lifestyle
Narwhals are social animals that form huge herds. The most numerous communities consist of mature males, young animals and females, and small communities consist of females with cubs or mature males. According to ketologists, narwhals used to gather in huge herds of up to several thousand individuals, but now the group rarely exceeds hundreds of heads.
It is interesting! In summer, narwhals (unlike belugas) prefer to be in deep waters, and in winter they stay in polynyas. When the latter are covered with ice, males wield strong backs and tusks, breaking the ice crust (up to 5 cm in thickness).
From the side, fast-swimming narwhals look quite impressive - they do not lag behind each other, performing synchronous maneuvers. These whales are no less picturesque in moments of rest: they lie on the surface of the sea, directing their impressive tusks forward or upward, towards the sky. Narwhals live in the icy waters that fringe the Arctic ice and resort to seasonal migrations based on the movement of floating ice.
By winter, whales go south, and migrate north in summer. Beyond the boundaries of polar waters below 70 ° N. sh., narwhals come out only in winter and extremely rarely. Periodically, males cross their horns, which ketologists regard as a way to free the tusks from foreign growths. Narwhals can talk and do it very willingly, uttering (depending on the occasion) squeals, lowings, clicks, whistles and even groans with sighs.
How long does a narwhal live
Biologists are convinced that narwhals live in their natural environment for at least half a century (up to 55 years). In captivity, the species does not take root and does not reproduce: the caught narwhal did not last even 4 months in captivity. To keep a narwhal in artificial tanks, it is not only too large, but also quite fastidious, as it needs special water parameters.
sexual dimorphism
The difference between male and female individuals can be traced, first of all, in size - females are smaller and rarely approach a ton in weight, gaining about 900 kg. But the fundamental difference lies in the teeth, or rather, in the left upper tooth, which pierces the upper lip of the male and grows 2–3 m, twisting into a tight corkscrew.
Important! The right tusks (in both sexes) are hidden in the gums, developing extremely rarely - in about 1 case out of 500. In addition, sometimes a long tusk breaks through in the female. Hunters came across female narwhals with a pair of tusks (right and left).
However, ketologists classify the tusk as a secondary sex characteristic of males, but still debate its function. Some biologists believe that males use tusks in mating games, attracting partners or measuring strength with competitors (in the second case, narwhals rub against tusks).
Other uses for tusks include:
- stabilization of the body (protecting it from rotation along the axis) during swimming with circular movements of the caudal fin;
- providing oxygen to the remaining members of the herd, devoid of horns - with the help of tusks, males break the ice, creating vents for relatives;
- the use of a tusk as a hunting weapon, as captured by a video filmed by specialists from the WWF Polar Research Department in 2017;
- protection from natural enemies.
In addition, in 2005, thanks to research by a group led by Martin Nweeia, it was found that the narwhal tusk is a kind of sensory organ. The bone tissue of the tusk was examined under an electron microscope and found that it was penetrated by millions of tiny channels with nerve endings. Biologists have put forward a hypothesis according to which the narwhal tusk responds to changes in temperature and pressure, and also determines the concentration of suspended particles in sea water.
Range, habitats
Narwhal lives in the North Atlantic, as well as in the Kara, Chukchi and Barents Seas, which belong to the Arctic Ocean. It is found mainly near Greenland, the Canadian archipelago and Svalbard, as well as in the north of the Northern Island of Novaya Zemlya and off the coast of Franz Josef Land.
Narwhals are recognized as the northernmost of all cetaceans, as they live between 70 ° and 80 ° north latitude. In summer, the northernmost migrations of the narwhal extend up to 85°N. sh., in winter there are southern calls - to the Netherlands and Great Britain, Bering Island, the White Sea and the Murmansk coast.
The traditional habitats of the species are non-freezing polynyas in the center of the Arctic, which are rarely covered with ice even in the most severe winters. These oases among the ice remain unchanged from year to year, and the most remarkable of them have been awarded their own names. One of the most notable, the Great Siberian Polynya, is located near the New Siberian Islands. Their permanent polynyas are marked off the eastern coast of Taimyr, Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya.
It is interesting! The Arctic Ring of Life is the name given to the chain of non-freezing seawater that links the permanent polynyas (traditional habitats of narwhals).
Animal migration is driven by advance/retreat of ice. In general, these northern whales have a rather limited range, as they are more picky about their habitat. They prefer deep waters, entering bays/fjords in the summer and hardly leaving loose ice. Most narwhals now live in the Davis Strait, the Greenland Sea and the Baffin Sea, but the most numerous population has been recorded in northwestern Greenland and in the waters of the Eastern Canadian Arctic.
Narwhal diet
If the prey (bottom fish) hid at the bottom, the narwhal begins to work with a tusk to scare it away and force it to rise.
The diet of the narwhal includes many marine life:
- cephalopods (including squids);
- crustaceans;
- salmon;
- cod;
- herring;
- flounder and halibut;
- stingrays and gobies.
The narwhal has adapted to a long stay under water, which is what it uses during the hunt, plunging for a long time to a kilometer depth.
