With a singular, long, spiraled tusk, narwhals really are the unicorns of the sea. The tusk, which is actually an elongated tooth, is mainly found in males and can grow up to 10 feet long. Many researchers believe that narwhals use the tusks in mating displays, though due to limited field observation, there is still much to learn about narwhals.
A new study published in Frontiers in Marine Science used drones to monitor narwhals in the wild. With this footage, researchers may have a better understanding of this incredible arctic whale and what they use their tusks for.
For this study, an international research team from Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and Inuit communities in Nunavut, in Canada’s High Arctic, captured drone video of narwhals using their tusks against Arctic char, a large, salmon-like fish.
The video shows narwhals using their ...
