Narwhal

Depth: 120 m · Sunlight Zone

The narwhal is the unicorn whale: in the males a long, spiral tusk grows straight forward, up to three meters long. It is really a giant tooth. Narwhals live in the icy Arctic Ocean and dive deeper than almost any other whale.

For scientists

The tusk is an erupting, spirally twisted canine tooth full of nerve endings; the narwhal probably senses water pressure, salinity, and temperature with it and uses it to display to rivals. In winter it regularly dives over 1500 meters deep beneath the pack ice and hunts halibut and squid. It has no dorsal fin, which makes swimming right under the ice easier.

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