Rare Narwhal Footage Shows They Use Their Tusks To Explore, Play, And Forage
With their long, spiral tusks, narwhals are like the unicorns of the sea. The iconic tusk is actually a tooth and is mostly seen in males. It can grow up to 10 feet long and is believed to play a role in mating displays.
The tusk may have other uses besides mating, but narwhals are elusive creatures, so people haven’t been able to observe them very closely in the wild. This is because the narwhal (Monodon monoceros) lives in remote Arctic waters.
Researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans are collaborating with Inuit communities in Nunavut in Canada’s High Arctic to use drones to observe this Arctic whale’s behavior.
They captured the first evidence of narwhals using their tusks in the wild to manipulate and influence the behavior of the Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus).
In addition, the narwhals seemed to use their tusks to engage in play. These findings provide insight into the narwhals’ complex behavior and their interactions with prey and their competitors.
“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 study co-author and research professor.
“But now we know that narwhal tusks have other uses, some quite unexpected, including foraging, exploration, and play.”
In total, the team detected 17 behaviors in the narwhals. For one, the narwhals displayed impressive agility, accuracy, and speed in their tusk movements, regularly adjusting to follow the moving target. They used their tusks to hit fish with force, effectively stunning them and possibly killing them.
Environmental changes might also be leading to new encounters with other species, challenging the Arctic whale to adapt.
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The researchers saw interactions between narwhals, fish, and birds, including an instance of kleptoparasitism—where glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) attempted to steal food from a narwhal.
Additionally, the researchers witnessed the first evidence of play in narwhals. They also exhibited signs of social learning, social instruction, and personality differences among individual whales.
These social processes could help them adapt their behavior more quickly in response to changes in the Arctic.
“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.
“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.”
The study was published in Frontiers in Marine Science.
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