Title: BBC - Earth - The tusks of narwhals are actually teeth that are inside-out
Headings: The tusks of narwhals are actually teeth that are inside-out
The tusks of narwhals are actually teeth that are inside-out
Content: View image of Narwhals live in the cold waters of the Arctic (Credit: Doc White/NPL)
Narwhals are iconic creatures of the Arctic. They have intrigued explorers and scientists for hundreds of years. The narwhal's tusk was once passed off for exorbitant sums as unicorn horn
But they spend long Arctic winters in dark, pack-ice covered waters, and live in vast remote seas that are difficult to get to. That makes them difficult to study, so perhaps it is not surprising that misconceptions abound. "A lot of people really don't believe they are still alive," says Martin Nweeia of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US. Adults are apparently more prone to this misperception. " Oddly enough, kids are little more savvy these days about narwhals." Nweeia, a dentist, became obsessed with narwhal teeth over a decade ago and has since made it his mission to figure out what the tusk does. View image of Female narwhals normally do not have tusks (Credit: