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.
Narwhal Behavior From Above
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 tusks to jab and stun the fish, which could indicate how narwhals interact with their prey. The drone captured 17 unique narwhal behaviors, including how they interacted with other animals, such as avian competition.
Other behaviors include what researchers consider as the first evidence of narwhals playing, more specifically, exploratory playing. The footage may have also given the researchers more of an insight into a narwhal’s social learning and personality differences.
“Narwhals are known for their tusking behavior, where two or more of them simultaneously raise their tusks almost vertically out of the water, crossing them in what may be a ritualistic behavior to assess a potential opponent’s qualities or to display those qualities to potential mates,” said Greg O’Corry-Crowe, a research professor at FAU Harbor Branch and a National Geographic Explorer and senior author of the study in a press release. “But now we know that narwhal tusks have other uses, some quite unexpected, including foraging, exploration and play.”
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Nimble Narwhals
Besides certain behaviors, the research team also noted that narwhals were especially dextrous when it came to maneuvering their tusks. As narwhals are hunting fish, they could quickly and precisely adjust their tusks to accommodate their prey moving or use their tusks to manipulate which direction a fish would go.
“I have been studying narwhal for over a decade and have always marveled at their tusks,” said Cortney Watt, a research scientist and team lead at Fisheries and Oceans Canada and co-author of the study, in a press release. “To observe them using their tusks for foraging and play is remarkable. This unique study where we set up a remote field camp and spent time filming narwhal with drones is yielding many interesting insights and is providing a bird’s eye view of their behavior that we have never seen before.”
A Changing Arctic
Seeing how narwhals interact with other native Arctic species begged the question of how they could interact with new species in the Arctic as climate change continues, especially if that means fewer food resources.
“To understand how narwhals are being affected by and adapting to the changing Arctic, field studies using innovative, non-invasive tools like drones are essential to observe them in their natural environment without disturbing them,” said O’Corry-Crowe in a press release.
“Drones provide a unique, real-time view of their behavior, helping scientists gather crucial data on how narwhals are responding to shifts in ice patterns, prey availability, and other environmental changes. Such studies are key to understanding the impact of global warming on these elusive animals,” O’Corry-Crowe concluded in a press release.
Read More: Narwhals Can Dive 6,000 Feet Below Arctic Waters, But When Do They Do It?
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
Frontiers in Marine Science. Use of tusks by narwhals, Monodon monoceros, in foraging, exploratory, and play behavior
A graduate of UW-Whitewater, Monica Cull wrote for several organizations, including one that focused on bees and the natural world, before coming to Discover Magazine. Her current work also appears on her travel blog and Common State Magazine. Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who.
