Narwhal (redirected from narwal)

narwhal (när`wəl), 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).

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narwhal

 or narwal or narwhale

Narwhal (Monodon monoceros)

(credit: Painting by Richard Ellis)

Toothed whale (Monodon monoceros, family Monodontidae) of the Arctic, found in groups of 15–20 along coasts and sometimes in rivers. Narwhals are mottled gray, attain a length of 11.5–16 ft (3.5–5 m), and have no dorsal fin. They have only two teeth, at the upper jaw tip. The male's left tooth is a straight, protruding tusk, up to 8.9 ft (2.7 m) long, that is grooved on the surface in a left-handed spiral. It was prized in medieval times as the unicorn horn. The tusk is thought to have evolved as a sexual display. Narwhals eat fishes, cephalopods, and crustaceans. They are hunted by humans for their tusks and meat.

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narwhal, narwal, narwhale

an arctic toothed whale, Monodon monoceros, having a black-spotted whitish skin and, in the male, a long spiral tusk: family Monodontidae

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narwhal [′när‚wäl]

(vertebrate zoology)

Monodon monoceros.An arctic whale characterized by lack of a dorsal fin, and by possession in the male of a long, twisted, pointed tusk (or rarely, two tusks) which is a source of ivory.

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Narwhal 

(Monodon monoceros), a mammal of the subfamily Delphinapterinae of the family Delphinidae. The female is up to 5 m long, and the male up to 6 m long. Males may weigh as much as one ton. The newborn calf is about 1.5 m long. The narwhal has a rounded head and lacks a dorsal fin. The adults are light yellow with black spots; the newborns are black. The narwhal has only two upper teeth. The left tooth develops into a twisted tusk up to 3 m in length, the right tooth usually remains undeveloped. The narwhal is a rare species, found in arctic waters, primarily around Greenland and the northern part of the Canadian archipelago. Narwhals live among the ice and feed on cephalopods and fish.

REFERENCE

Tomilin, A. G. Kitoobraznye. Moscow, 1957. (Zveri SSSR i prilezhash-chikh strati, vol. 9.) [17 -732–2]