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narwhal
narwhal , a small arctic whale , Monodon monoceros. The males of this species, and an occasional female, bear a single, tightly spiraled tusk that measures up to 9 ft (2.7 m) in length. This tusk is an overgrown upper central incisor tooth, generally the one on the left. Very rarely do both incisors grow out in this manner; the animal is otherwise toothless. The tusk is nerve-rich and may be used as a sense organ and for other functions. The narwhal is short-headed and virtually snoutless. When mature, it is mottled gray in color. Like its close relative the beluga , it lacks a dorsal fin, but it does have a long, low dorsal hump. The narwhal may reach a length of 20 ft (6.1 m), excluding the tusk. It is found in the Arctic and N Atlantic oceans, occasionally as far south as Britain; narwhals usually travel in groups of 15 to 20 animals. The diet of narwhals consists chiefly of cuttlefish and cod. Mating occurs in the summer, and after a gestation of 14 months the female gives birth to a single blue-gray calf measuring up to 5 ft (1.5 m). The calves are weaned at six months. Formerly killed for its tusk, which was believed to have magical properties (and was sold for centuries as a unicorn horn), the narwhal is now hunted by native peoples for food and for the tusk. It is classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Cetacea, family Monodontidae.
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"narwhal." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "narwhal." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-narwhal.html "narwhal." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-narwhal.html |
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narwhal
narwhal XVII. — Du. narwal — Da. narhval; the second el. is WHALE. The relation to synon. ON. náhvalr is obscure; the latter appears to be f. nár corpse, and the allusion is supposed to be to the colour of the animal's skin.
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T. F. HOAD. "narwhal." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "narwhal." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-narwhal.html T. F. HOAD. "narwhal." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-narwhal.html |
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narwhal
narwhal a small Arctic whale, the male of which has a long forward-pointing spirally twisted tusk developed from one of its teeth; in the past this tusk was sometimes represented as or believed to be a unicorn's horn, with its magic properties.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "narwhal." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "narwhal." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-narwhal.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "narwhal." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-narwhal.html |
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narwhal
narwhal Small, toothed Arctic whale. The male has a twisted horn, half as long as its body, which develops from a tooth and protrudes horizontally through one side of the upper lip. Length: up to 5m (16ft). Species Monodon monoceros.
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"narwhal." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "narwhal." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-narwhal.html "narwhal." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-narwhal.html |
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narwhal
nar·whal / ˈnärwəl/ • n. a small Arctic whale (Monodon monoceros, family Monodontidae), the male of which has a long spirally twisted tusk developed from one of its teeth. |
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"narwhal." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "narwhal." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-narwhal.html "narwhal." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-narwhal.html |
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narwhal
narwhal (Monoceros) See MONODONTIDAE.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "narwhal." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "narwhal." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-narwhal.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "narwhal." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-narwhal.html |
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narwhal
narwhal •Ethel • lethal • brothel • betrothal
•Cavell, cavil, gavel, gravel, ravel, travel
•Havel, larval, marvel, Marvell, rondavel
•bedevil, bevel, devil, dishevel, kevel, level, revel, split-level
•daredevil • she-devil • eye level
•naval, navel
•coeval, evil, Khedival, medieval, primeval, retrieval, shrieval, upheaval
•civil, drivel, shrivel, snivel, swivel
•carnival • Percival • perspectival
•festival • aestival (US estival)
•adjectival, arrival, deprival, genitival, imperatival, infinitival, outrival, relatival, revival, rival, substantival, survival
•archival
•grovel, hovel, novel
•oval
•approval, removal
•Lovell, shovel
•interval • serval • narwhal
•coequal, equal, prequel, sequel
•bilingual, lingual, monolingual, multilingual
•rorqual • Hywel
•Daniel, spaniel
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"narwhal." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "narwhal." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-narwhal.html "narwhal." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-narwhal.html |
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