Weird Creatures #2: Unicorn of the Deep

Narwhals are pretty interesting whales because of their tusk which makes them the unicorns of the ocean. Their tusk is a tooth which normally grows on the left side. some females have them, but all males have them and there are instances when they grow two tusks. The tusks aren't proven to be used to show male dominance, but they are a sensory organ. Their tusks can grow to 1.5 meters long.

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They feed of fish and shrimp and are able to dive to depths of 1500 meters for almost half an hour. They breath air as all whales do, so they need to make sure in winter that they can get to gaps in the ice or else they drown. They travel in pods which can get to as many as 100 all together. They weigh a few hundred Kilograms to just over one ton and can grow to over 5 meters long. Narwhals live in the north pole region.

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Narwhals breed between April and May and carry their unborn calf for just over a year. The calf is about 1.6 meters long when born and feeds off mother's milk for about 20 months. It is dark in color, but the older it gets, the wither it gets. Narwhals get eaten by polar bears and orca, but their biggest threat are humans and drowning from ice freezing over trapping them in big pods. They really are cool creatures.

Hope you enjoyed the post!