The Narwhal's Left Tooth

The narwhal is a toothed whale native to the Arctic. It belongs to the family Monodontidae.

Males grow a spiralled left canine called a tusk reaching 3 m and weighing 7.45 kg.

Adults measure up to 5.5 m long. They weigh as much as 1,600 kg under thick blubber.

In winter they dive to 2,370 m for food with dives lasting up to 25 minutes. They also reserve oxygen in their muscles.

They dive deeper than most whales.

They eat Arctic cod, Greenland halibut and armhook squid. Dining out without cutlery again.

Around 1990 hybrid remains were found in West Greenland. DNA analysis in 2019 confirmed it.

About 170,000 narwhals remain today and the species is listed as least concern by the IUCN. Least concern is a polite way to cope.