The Narwhal

Illustration by Jean Jullien

"I like the idea of a sea unicorn!"

jeanjullien.com

The Narwhal is a toothed whale that lives in subpolar and polar waters above the Arctic Circle. Its scientific name Monodon Monoceros means ‘one tooth, one horn’. Male narwhals have an ivory, spiralized tooth often referred to as a ‘tusk’ that protrudes up to 3 metres (9.8 feet) from their mouths, and which they use to establish dominance in the pod. They feed in deep waters near the ice edge, where they eat large fishes and squids that live on or near the bottom. Narwhals can dive more than 1,800 metres (5,905 feet) deep, making them one of the deepest-diving marine mammals.

Text sourced from Oceana, an Ocean Friend organisation dedicated to preserving and restoring the world's oceans.

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