There are a lot of sea creatures out there that we find absolutely terrifying, and for good reason, we might add. But the narwhal, also known as ‘the unicorn of the sea’, is not one. In fact, we’re pretty fascinated by them, so we put together a list of our favorite narwhal facts. Let’s get started!
Narwhals survive on a diet of squid, shrimp, and fish. We know, we know, that part isn’t super fascinating, but what is pretty cool is the fact that up until 2006 scientists were pretty in the dark when it came to a narwhal’s eating habits because narwhals dive deep into the frigid waters to catch their prey. Scientists found that narwhals are pretty limited as to what they can eat through every season. In fact, in the fall of 2006 when the study was done, squid was the only food available to feed over 120 narwhals.
On average narwhals range from 13 – 18 feet long and weigh anywhere from 1,760 pounds to 3,530 pounds.
So most of us probably already knew that their “horn” is actually a tooth and that male narwhals are the ones with the notorious spiral protruding from their heads. But, let the record show, that both male and female narwhals have two tiny teeth embedded in their skulls and scientists estimate that only 3% of females have a little horn to speak of.
Keeping on the topic of their horns, scientists still aren’t entirely sure as to why they have them. Theories have included needing them for spearing fish, breaking ice, and most recently, competing for and attracting mates.
For some reason we can’t explain, we think of narwhals as pretty adorable little sea creatures (that aren’t actually little at all!) But now that we know this horrifying fact, we’re not sure they’re that adorable either. A narwhal’s mouth is virtually toothless, so narwhals actually swim toward their prey, suck them into their mouth, then swallow them whole. Ehh, even knowing that we think they’re still pretty adorable.
As narwhals age they change in color, kinda like how our hair tends to turn gray as we get older. When they’re born, narwhals are white or light gray, as they get older their skin begins to darken, then in old age, they return to their lighter tone. Scientists find this especially helpful when studying them.
Don’t be discouraged if you’ve never seen a narwhal before, but if it’s on your bucket list, you may want to reconsider. Narwhals are rarely seen by humans and this is mostly due to how far north they live.