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.

Bibliography: See studies by F. Bruemmer (1993) and J. Rosing (1999).

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.