Fish lied. Narwhal

The topic of today’s article on the “Me and the World” website is again about the inhabitants of the sea: Narwhal is a sea animal, a photo and description of which you will see below.

Horned sea dweller

The narwhal fish looks like a unicorn that lives in the sea. For its spiral-shaped horn, similar to an elephant’s tusk, it was nicknamed - sea ​​unicorn, although scientists are still arguing about its purpose.

Males and females different sizes. The first ones grow up to 4.5 m in length and weigh up to three tons, while the girls are smaller and weigh only about 900 kg. But almost a third of the total weight is fat - it is too cold in the latitudes where they live.

The head is round with a large forehead, and there are only 2 in the mouth upper teeth, one of which grows in the form of a horn up to a size of three meters and weighing up to 10 kg. Such a tusk occurs only in males and very rarely in females, although they are found with two tusks at once. There are several versions of what a horn is needed for. It was assumed that males use it to attract females mating games Oh.

One of the research groups discovered many small tubes with nerve endings on the tusk - a version that it is a sensitive organ of the animal. A few years ago, another group filmed a fish stunning its prey with its tusk. Most likely, all versions of using the horn work.

Outwardly, narwhals resemble beluga whales, because they belong to the same subfamily, but the color of the skin is spotted. The appearance of this relative of whales and dolphins (also reminiscent of seals) can be seen in the pictures. Books with such drawings and photographs are especially useful for children.

Life and behavior in nature

Narwhals live in herds, numbering several hundred animals, but some single animals or females with cubs detach and form small groups of 6-7 pieces. They are very talkative and friendly with each other, making sharp sounds: sighs, groans, mooing, gurgling, creaking.

These animals live where cold waters touch the ice of the Arctic: off the coast of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia (Arkhangelsk region). They migrate along with floating ice floes, in summer – to the south, in winter – to the north. When a wormwood freezes, they break the ice (no thicker than 5 cm) with their foreheads and tusks.

Due to the lack of teeth, narwhals cannot bite prey; they grab food with their jaws and swallow it whole, so food must be of a certain size. What does it eat? Cephalopods, crustaceans, bottom fish - cod, flounder, gobies, halibut. For food they dive to a depth of 1 km, staying there for a long time. Like bats they send around sound signals, which encounter obstacles and return back. This is how the narwhal accurately determines the size and movement of its prey.

Reproduction begins in spring from March to May. After 14-15 months, the female gives birth to one calf. The next time the female will mate only after 2-3 years, but for now she takes care of the baby. The mother pushes the newly born baby with its nose to the surface to inhale air. It weighs 80-90 kg and is one and a half meters long. Spots appear with age.

Use on the farm

Narwhal meat northern peoples they are used for food, the fat is used as oil for lamps, and the intestines are used for ropes. But tusks are very valuable; figurines are cut out of them for sale. The skin contains a lot of vitamin C.

Poachers and polluted seas pose a great danger to animals. Currently, there are about 30,000 narwhals left, so they are protected and listed in the Red Book of Russia.

Video

The unicorns of the sea are not fairy-tale inhabitants, but real, beautiful and powerful animals whose numbers need to be restored. You learned interesting facts about narwhals from the article you read, and if you liked the information, share the link with your friends. In the meantime, “Me and the World” says goodbye to you!

K:Wikipedia:Articles without images (type: not specified)

Lifestyle and nutrition Narwhals live in cold waters along the edge of the Arctic ice, making seasonal migrations based on movement floating ice- in the winter in a southerly direction, and in the summer - in a northerly direction. Beyond polar waters, below 70° N. sh., they come out rarely and only in winter time. Unlike beluga whales, narwhals stay in the air while flying. deep waters. In winter they live in clearings among the ice; if the ice holes freeze, the males from below break the ice (up to 5 cm thick), striking with their backs and tusks. Social structure and reproduction Narwhals live alone or in small groups, usually of 6-10 heads, which consist of adult males or females with cubs; Previously they formed large aggregations of several hundred and thousands of heads. In a herd, like beluga whales, narwhals are very talkative. Most often they produce sharp sounds reminiscent of a whistle; They also make moans (or sighs), moos, clicks, squeaks, and gurgles. Peak mating occurs in spring. Pregnancy lasts 14-15 months, the full reproductive cycle covers 2-3 years. 1, very rarely 2 cubs are born. Puberty in males it occurs at a body length of 4 m, in females - 3.4 m, which corresponds to 4-7 years. Life expectancy in nature is up to 55 years; in captivity - up to 4 months. There are no known cases of breeding in captivity. Economic importance Meat rich in fat - important source nutrients for the indigenous inhabitants of the Arctic who have hunted narwhals for thousands of years. Fat is also used as oil for lamps, and intestines are used to make ropes; tusks, from which crafts are cut, are especially valued. The skin of narwhals contains a lot of vitamin C. Since the summer, the Canadian government has introduced restrictive measures for the fishery: it has banned the slaughter of females accompanied by cubs, it has required the complete disposal of hunted animals and introduced an annual quota for production in the main hunting areas. Population status and conservation Protected rare species; listed in the Red Book of Russia (rarity category: 3 - rare small species, representative of a monotypic genus), as well as in Appendix I of CITES. Unlike beluga whales, narwhals do not tolerate captivity well. Today, the world population of narwhals numbers 23 thousand animals, which gives reason to consider them an endangered species. Release 11.04 operating system Linux Ubuntu is called Natty Narwhal - “graceful narwhal”. Write a review about the article "Narwhal" Notes Links // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907. : information on the IUCN Red List website (English) Wozencraft, W.C./ Wilson D. E. & Reeder D. M. (eds). - 3rd edition. - Johns Hopkins University Press, November 16, 2005. - ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC Species in the World Register marine species (World Register of Marine Species) (English) Excerpt characterizing Narwhal He, puffing and muttering something to himself, entered the stairs. The coachman no longer asked him whether to wait. He knew that when the count was with the Rostovs, it was until twelve o’clock. The Rostovs' lackeys joyfully rushed to take off his cloak and accept his stick and hat. Pierre, as was his club habit, left his stick and hat in the hall. The first face he saw from the Rostovs was Natasha. Even before he saw her, he, taking off his cloak in the hall, heard her. She sang solfege in the hall. He realized that she had not sung since her illness, and therefore the sound of her voice surprised and delighted him. He quietly opened the door and saw Natasha in her purple dress, which she had worn at mass, walking around the room and singing. She walked backwards towards him when he opened the door, but when she turned sharply and saw his fat, surprised face, she blushed and quickly approached him. “I want to try singing again,” she said. “It’s still a job,” she added, as if apologizing. - And wonderful. – I’m so glad you came! I'm so happy today! - she said with the same animation that Pierre had not seen in her for a long time. – You know, Nicholas received St. George's Cross. I'm so proud of him. - Well, I sent an order. Well, I don’t want to disturb you,” he added and wanted to go into the living room. Natasha stopped him. - Count, is it bad that I sing? - she said, blushing, but without taking her eyes off, looking questioningly at Pierre. - No... Why? On the contrary... But why are you asking me? “I don’t know myself,” Natasha quickly answered, “but I wouldn’t want to do anything that you wouldn’t like.” I believe you in everything. You don’t know how important you are to me and how much you have done for me!..” She spoke quickly and not noticing how Pierre blushed at these words. “I saw in the same order, he, Bolkonsky (she said this word quickly, in a whisper), he is in Russia and is serving again. “What do you think,” she said quickly, apparently in a hurry to speak because she was afraid for her strength, “will he ever forgive me?” Will he have any ill feelings against me? How do you think? How do you think? “I think...” said Pierre. “He has nothing to forgive... If I were in his place...” Through the connection of memories, Pierre’s imagination instantly transported him to the time when he, comforting her, told her that if he were not he, but best man in peace and free, then he would be on his knees asking for her hand, and the same feeling of pity, tenderness, love would overcome him, and the same words would be on his lips. But she didn't give him time to say them. “Yes, you are,” she said, pronouncing this word “you” with delight, “another matter.” I don’t know a kinder, more generous, better person than you, and there cannot be one. If you had not been there then, and even now, I don’t know what would have happened to me, because... - Tears suddenly poured into her eyes; she turned, raised the notes to her eyes, began to sing and began to walk around the hall again. At the same time, Petya ran out of the living room. Petya was now a handsome, ruddy fifteen-year-old boy with thick, red lips, similar to Natasha. He was preparing for university, but lately, with his comrade Obolensky, secretly decided that he would join the hussars. Petya ran out to his namesake to talk about the matter. He asked him to find out if he would be accepted into the hussars. Pierre walked through the living room, not listening to Petya. Petya tugged at his hand to attract his attention. - Well, what’s my business, Pyotr Kirilych. For God's sake! There is only hope for you,” said Petya. - Oh yes, it's your business. To the hussars? I'll tell you, I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything today. - Well, mon cher, have you got the manifesto? – asked the old count. - And the countess was at mass at the Razumovskys, she heard a new prayer. Very good, he says. “Got it,” answered Pierre. - Tomorrow the sovereign will be... An extraordinary meeting of the nobility and, they say, a set of ten out of a thousand. Yes, congratulations. - Yes, yes, thank God. Well, what about the army? “Our people retreated again.” They say it’s already near Smolensk,” Pierre answered. - My God, my God! - said the count. -Where is the manifesto? - Appeal! Oh yes! - Pierre began to look in his pockets for papers and could not find them. Continuing to pat his pockets, he kissed the hand of the countess as she entered and looked around restlessly, apparently waiting for Natasha, who was no longer singing, but also did not come into the living room. “By God, I don’t know where I put him,” he said. “Well, he’ll always lose everything,” said the countess. Natasha came in with a softened, excited face and sat down, silently looking at Pierre. As soon as she entered the room, Pierre's face, previously gloomy, lit up, and he, continuing to look for papers, glanced at her several times. - By God, I’ll move out, I forgot at home. Definitely... - Well, you'll be late for lunch. - Oh, and the coachman left. But Sonya, who went into the hallway to look for the papers, found them in Pierre’s hat, where he carefully placed them in the lining. Pierre wanted to read. “No, after dinner,” said the old count, apparently anticipating great pleasure in this reading. At dinner, during which they drank champagne to the health of the new Knight of St. George, Shinshin told city news about the illness of the old Georgian princess, that Metivier had disappeared from Moscow, and that some German had been brought to Rastopchin and told him that it was champignon (as Count Rastopchin himself told), and how Count Rastopchin ordered the champignon to be released, telling the people that it was not a champignon, but just old mushroom German. “They’re grabbing, they’re grabbing,” said the count, “I tell the countess to speak less French.” Now is not the time. -Have you heard? - said Shinshin. - Prince Golitsyn took a Russian teacher, he studies in Russian - il commence a devenir dangereux de parler francais dans les rues. [It becomes dangerous to speak French on the streets.] - Well, Count Pyotr Kirilych, how will they gather the militia, and you will have to mount a horse? - said the old count, turning to Pierre. Pierre was silent and thoughtful throughout this dinner. He looked at the count as if not understanding at this address. “Yes, yes, to war,” he said, “no!” What a warrior I am! But everything is so strange, so strange! Yes, I don’t understand it myself. I don’t know, I’m so far from military tastes, but in modern times no one can answer for themselves. After dinner, the count sat quietly in a chair and with a serious face asked Sonya, famous for her reading skills, to read. – “To our mother-throne capital, Moscow. The enemy entered Russia with great forces. He is coming to ruin our dear fatherland,” Sonya diligently read in her thin voice. The Count, closing his eyes, listened, sighing impulsively in some places.

I would immediately like to answer the question of our readers about what a narwhal is - an animal or a fish. This is a mammal belonging to the cetacean family. This is the only species of narwhal.

The animal narwhal, or aquatic unicorn, lives in the North Arctic Ocean, is a beluga whale and belongs to the family of cetaceans.

Appearance

This is a very large animal - the narwhal. Its (male) weight reaches 1.5 tons. The length of an adult is 4.5 meters, and up to one and a half meters is the length of a baby. More than half of an adult narwhal's weight is fat. Females are somewhat more graceful, their weight is only 900 kilograms.

Externally, narwhals are very similar to beluga whales. But they are distinguished by a huge horn. More often it is called a tusk. This is a large and durable formation, 2-3 meters long and weighing 10 kg. The tusks are capable of bending different sides without breaking.

Why do I need a narwhal horn?

The functions of the tusk are still not fully understood. True, today scientists confidently declare that it is not intended to break through the ice crust or attack the victim.

At first, a version was voiced that the animal narwhal uses its horn in mating games - to attract a female. It was based on observations. The point is that in mating season these giant animals actually constantly touch their tusks.

In 2005, a scientific expedition observing the life of narwhals concluded that this formation is extremely sensitive. When studying it, a huge number of nerve endings were discovered on its surface.

Scientists have once again seen how unique the narwhal (animal) is. Measuring temperature and frequency electromagnetic waves the tusk is the next version of its purpose.

Hypersensitive tusk

The horn of the narwhal is revered and prized different cultures- it can be a decoration of royal thrones and palaces. In England, the narwhal tusk became the royal scepter. Queen Elizabeth paid for one tusk of this northern giant in the 16th century a fantastic sum for those times - 10 thousand pounds. With this money it was possible to build a castle. What is so remarkable about the process?

Narwhals belong to a small suborder of the so-called toothed whales. Despite this, in fact they are toothless creatures. There are no teeth at all, and on the top there are only two rudiments. Cubs may have six pairs of upper and a pair of lower teeth, but they fall out very quickly, and in place of the left tooth, males begin to develop a tusk, which by the time the animal matures reaches 2-3 m in length, 7-10 cm in thickness or more 10 kg weight. Only males are adorned with long tusks. The female has a straight and shorter horn. Very rarely, but it happens that both teeth in females degenerate into tusks; and in males the left fang does not become a horn, but these are quite rare exceptions.

The narwhal tusk has a spiral striation (cut) on its surface, which significantly increases its strength. This cutting appears over a long time: during the forward movement of the animal, the tusk, overcoming the powerful resistance of the water, slowly rotates around its own axis. As a result, the walls of the hole cut spiral grooves on its forming surface.

Very rarely there are males with two tusks, which were formed from two teeth at once. According to statistics, such animals occur one in 500 adults.

Surprisingly, even today the narwhal animal, and in particular its horn, remain a mystery to scientists around the world. It has been little studied.

Today, researchers believe that the tusk allows the narwhal to sense changes in temperature, pressure, and concentration of suspended particles in the water.

Lifestyle

The narwhal is an animal (we posted the photo in this article) that in winter dives to a depth of up to 1.5 km. This is necessary to protect yourself from the icy Arctic waters. After some time, it rises to the surface for air and again goes to depth. He makes about 15 such dives per day. In addition, narwhals have reliable protection against the cold. subcutaneous fat. Its layer sometimes exceeds 10 cm. In summer, these animals are usually found at a depth of 30 to 300 m.

Nutrition

The Arctic animal - the narwhal - feeds mainly and various types The main enemies of these powerful animals are killer whales and polar bears. The cubs are sometimes attacked by sharks.

Family

The narwhal animal can live completely alone or in a small group, which includes up to 10 adult males or females with offspring.

Previously, these giants created large herds numbering several hundred, and sometimes thousands of animals. Today it is rare to see a group of more than a hundred animals. Sometimes they are joined by beluga whales.

Like other gregarious cetaceans, these animals communicate with each other using vocalizations. Most often these are sharp sounds similar to whistling, groaning, clicking, mooing, gurgling, and squeaking.

Reproduction

Mating occurs in the spring. Pregnancy lasts 14 months, the full reproductive cycle is 2-3 years. Usually one, much less often two, cubs are born. Puberty occurs at 7 years of age. There have been no recorded cases of these animals breeding in captivity.

The female feeds the cub with very rich milk for 20 months.

Life in captivity

The aquatic unicorn is one of the few that cannot tolerate captivity at all. This is evidenced by the irrefutable fact that not a single animal has ever survived more than six months in captivity, while in captivity they live up to 55 years. The exact number of narwhals has not been established, but they are rare, rare species, which is already listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.

With full confidence they can be called one of the wonders of the Arctic, the only one of its kind.

Habitat

We have already mentioned that these powerful animals live in the harsh northern regions. They are most common in the Arctic seas and the Arctic Ocean. Narwhals can be found off the coast of Greenland, as well as in the northern parts of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

Small groups have been recorded in the northeast of Franz Josef Land, very rarely between Kolyma and Cape Barrow. This is due to the lack of feed - there is little cephalopods. Stations " North Pole» groups of narwhals have been recorded further north. They live in the cold waters around the edges arctic ice, make seasonal migrations: in summer - to the north, and in winter - to the south.

The meat of aquatic unicorns is eaten. They also use the fat of these animals as a means for a lamp (wick). Guts are used to make ropes and twines. But the mysterious horn, or tusk, is especially valuable. Northern craftsmen make various crafts from it.

Population

The narwhal animal is a small species that is on the verge of extinction. In the Middle Ages, because of his horn, which, according to shamans, has magical power, these mammals were destroyed in huge numbers.

Even today, an unusual tusk can cause an animal to be killed. They are hunted by Eskimos. If in the old days hand harpoons were used for hunting, today motor boats and automatic devices are used to kill narwhals.

Anyone who sets their sights on this rare animal needs to know that these are living indicators of the ecosystem, they sense the slightest climate changes and are sensitive to environmental pollution.

Eskimo legend about the narwhal

The Latin name for narwhal means "unicorn". An Eskimo legend explains the appearance of a horn on this huge sea animal. One day, a woman hunter stuck a harpoon into a narwhal, and the harpoon was tied to a rope encircling her. A narwhal rushing into the depths of the ocean dragged a woman with it. And she turned into a narwhal, and her braid into a horn.
In fact, the horn, or tusk, of a narwhal is a modified left upper tooth. The narwhal tusk is deeply revered in different cultures: it is used to decorate royal palaces and thrones, and in England the tusk serves as a royal scepter. In the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth paid 10 thousand pounds for one narwhal tusk - the price of an entire castle.
The largest male narwhals reach 6 m in length (usually 3.8-4.5 m) and weigh up to 1.5 tons. Smaller females reach 5 m and weigh no more than a ton. On the sides of the round forehead of the head there are small eyes. The narwhal does not have the usual dolphin “beak”. The upper lip protrudes forward beyond the lower and is pierced by a tusk. On the back, instead of a fin, like the beluga whale, there is a longitudinal and narrow leathery fold. In size and shape of the body, pectoral fins and dark coloration of the suckers, narwhals are similar to their related beluga whales. Adult narwhals differ from beluga whales by their spotted backs. The most dark spots– on the head and on the edge of the caudal peduncle.
Old individuals are lighter than young ones. The suckers are colored uniformly, dark gray.

Hypersensitive tusk

Narwhals belong to the suborder of toothed whales, but they are practically toothless creatures. The lower jaw is completely devoid of teeth, and the upper jaw has only two rudiments. Suckers can have up to six pairs of upper and one pair of lower teeth, but all of them soon fall out, and from the left tooth of the fourth pair, males develop a tusk 2-3 m long, 7-10 cm thick and weighing up to 16 kg. Only male narwhals have long tusks; the female's horn is shorter and straighter. Very rarely, both teeth in females develop into tusks; just as rarely in males the left fang does not turn into a tusk and remains as small as the right one. Spiral flow (cutting) on ​​the surface of the tusk, which increases its strength, is formed over a long time: when the tail blades work and the forward movement of the animal, the tusk, overcoming the resistance of the water, very slowly rotates around its axis, and the uneven walls of the hole cut spiral shapes on the surface of the growing tusk grooves. Narwhal tusks are characterized by high strength and flexibility.
By the way, males with two tusks, formed from two upper teeth at once, are found in only one animal out of half a thousand.
The narwhal, and especially its horn, remain a mystery to researchers around the world. This animal has been little studied, and there is still no consensus on the purpose of its tusk. The tusk is not used either for protection from enemies or for attacking the victim. It was assumed that it is necessary for males during mating games to attract females, and is also used as a tournament weapon - it was noticed that males sometimes cross their tusks over the water and rub them against each other. However, it does not come to serious fights. By crossing their tusks, narwhals apparently clear them of growths. It is believed that the tusks help them when hunting for scaring bottom fish from the ground, but the tusks themselves are not used in hunting. In 2005 research group under the leadership of Martin Nweeia, she suggested that the narwhal tusk is a sensitive organ. Under an electron microscope, it was discovered that the tusk was riddled with millions of tiny tubes containing nerve endings. Presumably, the tusk allows the narwhal to sense changes in pressure, temperature and the relative concentration of suspended particles in the water.

In polar waters

The narwhal is distributed in high latitudes - in the Arctic Ocean and Arctic seas. Most often found near Greenland and the northern parts of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, northeast of Franz Josef Land and north of Spitsbergen; extremely rarely - between the mouth of the Kolyma River and Cape Barrow, since there are few cephalopods here. The North Pole floating stations observed narwhals in the summer north of Wrangel Island, the De Long Islands and between Franz Josef Land and Severnaya Zemlya. Narwhals live in cold waters along the edge of the Arctic ice, making seasonal migrations: south in winter and north in summer. Beyond polar waters, below 70º northern latitude, they come out rarely and only in winter. Unlike beluga whales, narwhals stay in deep waters during the summer.
Narwhals have adapted to living in ice-covered areas in winter. When the ice holes freeze, the males from below break the ice (up to 5 cm thick), striking with their backs and tusks. All members of the herd breathe through the punched hole. They sometimes spend several months at such outlets. When the ice moves, the clearings often close, and individual groups of narwhals find themselves locked in small ice holes. The water in them seems to be boiling with animals trying to break through to the surface to take a breath of air. It is possible that in such conditions many of them die.

Whistling family

Narwhals live alone or in small groups, usually 6 to 10 adult males or females with cubs. Previously, narwhals formed large aggregations of several hundred and thousands of animals, but now the number of the largest herds rarely exceeds a hundred. Sometimes beluga whales join the herds of narwhals. Like other gregarious cetaceans, narwhals communicate with each other using vocalizations. Most often, they produce sharp sounds reminiscent of a whistle; they also make moans, moos, clicks, squeaks, and gurgles. Peak mating occurs in spring. Pregnancy lasts 14-15 months, the full reproductive cycle lasts 2-3 years. One, or very rarely two, cubs are born, about 160 cm long. Narwhals reach sexual maturity at the age of approximately 4-7 years. Life expectancy in nature is up to 55 years, in captivity - up to 4 months. There are no known cases of breeding in captivity.
About a third of narwhals' body weight is fat, which allows them to thrive in cold waters.
Females feed their young with high-fat milk for an average of about 20 months.

Population status

The narwhal is a rare, small-numbered species listed in the Red Book of Russia. In the Middle Ages, narwhals were killed in huge numbers because of their horn, which supposedly had magical powers. Even today, an unusual tusk can cause these animals to be killed. In addition, they are hunted by Eskimos. However, if previously hand harpoons were used for hunting, now motor boats and automatic harpoons are often used.
Narwhals are indicators of ecosystem health and are very sensitive to climate change as well as pollution.

Narwhal in the food chain

Narwhals feed on cephalopods, and to a lesser extent on crustaceans and fish, eating mainly bottom-dwelling representatives of ichthyofauna (cod, stingray, halibut, flounder, gobies, herring). In search of food, narwhals dive to a depth of almost a kilometer and remain under water for a long time. It has been observed that narwhals flush bottom-dwelling fish from the ground with the help of their tusks.
Natural enemies narwhals - polar bears and killer whales; polar sharks also attack their cubs.

Brief characteristics of the narwhal

Class: mammals
Squad: cetaceans
Suborder: toothed whales
Family: narwhals
Genus: narwhals
View: narwhal
Latin name: Monodon monoceros
Size: 3.8-4.5 m
Weight: 900-1500 kg
Color: bottom - white, top - light with grayish-brown spots
Lifespan: up to 55 years (in nature)

The size of an adult male often reaches 4.5 meters, weighing about one and a half tons. Females weigh slightly less. The head of an adult narwhal is round, with a large, tuberous forehead, and there is no dorsal fin. Narwhals are somewhat reminiscent of beluga whales, although compared to the latter, the animals have a somewhat spotted skin and 2 upper teeth, one of which, as it grows, turns into a three-meter tusk weighing up to ten kg.

Narwhal and beluga whale belong to the same subfamily Narwhalidae. Unlike dolphins, they do not have dorsal fin, but only a low ridge on the back. Like many other marine mammals, narwhals live in herds. All members of the narwhal herd usually breathe through a hole punched in the ice.

WHAT DOES IT EAT?

Unlike the beluga whale, which hunts in shallow waters, the narwhal feeds in the Arctic depths. It preys mainly on cod, halibut and flounder, as well as shrimp, small cuttlefish and crabs. The narwhal has keen hearing. When hunting, he uses echolocation. As well as bat, the narwhal sends sound signals into the space around itself, which, when they encounter an obstacle, return back. Using this echo, the narwhal accurately determines the location, size and direction of movement of the object. When diving for prey, the narwhal is capable of descending to a depth of 370 m, and it can stay under water for up to 15 minutes, after which it marine mammal must rise to the surface and inhale air.

The movably connected vertebral discs give flexibility to the narwhal's skeleton and make the animal an agile hunter. In addition to the long spiral twisted tusk, in males another smaller tusk grows from the upper jaw, covered with a lip. The large tooth in females usually grows into the jawbone. The narwhal cannot bite the victim - it grabs it with its jaws and swallows it whole. Therefore, this animal hunts prey of a certain size.

LIFESTYLE

Narwhals live in herds, the largest of which number up to 2,000 animals. Mostly they are found in related groups, but there are also herds in which animals are grouped according to gender and age. Males of the same age usually gather in groups of 8-10 animals. Narwhals are friendly marine animals. They can often be observed in the fjords along with their relatives - beluga whales. It's also interesting to watch the narwhal dozing on the surface ice water. The narwhal uses its convex forehead to make a hole in the ice (a hole), to which it returns from time to time if the ice crust is too thick for it in other places. A narwhal can stay underwater for fifteen minutes. In the fall, when the Arctic waters are frozen, narwhals swim south in large herds, where they spend the winter.

REPRODUCTION

Narwhals breed in the spring, from March to May. The dominant male assembles a harem and mates with several females. Over 14-15 months, usually in mid-July, the female gives birth to one cub. The pause between births in these animals is 3 years - during this time the female takes care of her baby. Big break between births and a small number of newborns is a serious obstacle to the survival of the species. The cub leaves the mother's womb with its tail first. Immediately after this, the female pushes him to the surface with her nose so that his lungs are filled with air for the first time. The length of a baby narwhal is 1.5 m, weight is about 80-90 kg. It has gray-blue skin. With age, a black and white pattern appears on the skin, which is called “salt and pepper.” The mother gradually accustoms the child to independence, leaving him alone when she swims in search of prey. One-year-old males begin to grow a tusk, which grows surprisingly quickly.

GENERAL PROVISIONS

The narwhal is a speckled brownish whale. It is also called the sea unicorn. The length of these rare whales reaches 6 meters. They live in the waters of the Arctic and North Antarctica, along the edge of the ice in the open sea.

They live in herds. They feed on squid, flounder and other fish. One cub is born every 2-3 years. Males are decorated with a tusk twisted like a screw, up to 3 meters long. This is a huge tooth that has grown through the upper lip. During mating games, males “fence” with this weapon.

INTERESTING INFORMATION. DID YOU KNOW THAT...

• In the Middle Ages, people believed that the narwhal's tusk was the horn of a unicorn and attributed miraculous powers to it. medicinal properties. Queen Elizabeth II of England kept the narwhal horn as a valuable relic.
• Some male narwhals (unicorns) have two tusks, the spirals on which have one direction - twist to the left. The length of the tusk can reach 3 meters. He can be seen from under upper lip and growing all the time. Sometimes such a tusk grows in female narwhals.
• Along with the narwhal, the beluga whale belongs to the narwhal subfamily - also the only species of the genus.
• The Old Norse word "rod" means "corpse". The narwhal, or "corpse whale," was so named because the mottled coloration of the older animals was similar to that of a corpse.

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF THE NARWHAL

Body: The streamlined shape is ideal for fast swimming. The back is covered with numerous black spots, the belly is white. The ends are about rounded pectoral fins(modified forelimbs) bend upward with age. The dorsal fin is low.

Male tusk: its purpose is unknown. Perhaps the narwhal uses it as a weapon while defending its territory.

Young: has a dark gray-blue color.

- Habitat of the narwhal

WHERE DOES HE LIVE?

The narwhal animal lives in Arctic and subarctic waters, under an ice crust or drifting ice, off the coast of Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Spitsbergen.

PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION

Poachers and sea pollution pose a threat to narwhals. The narwhal population ranges from 25,000 to 30,000 animals, of which approximately half live off the northwestern coast of Greenland.

#12 Narwhal Unicorn - narval Stories Northern. Video (00:01:47)

Unicorns are not fairy creatures, this is reality. Narwhals were called unicorns - mammals of the unicorn family, the only species of the narwhal genus. Narwhals are very beautiful and powerful animals. Adult males reach a length of 3.5-4.5 m and weigh about 1.5 tons. Females are smaller than males: their length is about 3 m, weight - 900 kg. A third of their mass is subcutaneous fat. In the wild, narwhals can live up to 55 years, but in captivity they die after 3-4 months.