Title: Narwhals of the Arctic Facts and Adaptations - Monodon monoceros
Headings: Narwhals - Facts and Adaptations
Monodon monoceros

Narwhals - Facts and Adaptations
Monodon monoceros
Medium sized toothed whales with just the single long tusk is present in males and about 15% of females. Animals of the far north and the original unicorns.
What are Narwhals like? how do they survive?
Narwhals live in groups of 10-100 individuals though can sometimes form much larger groups.
Historically
Narwhal Adaptations:

Content: They can also be tracked by satellite transmitters attached to their backs. Narwhals live in groups of 10-100 individuals though can sometimes form much larger groups. Narwhal Tusks
The most obvious and striking feature of narwhals is the tusk. This is an elongated canine tooth and is mainly found in males though around 15% of females also have a tusk albeit shorter and with a less pronounced spiral. The tusk is the left upper canine tooth and has a fairly tight left handed spiral which is thought to keep the tusk straight as it grows rather than curving as in other animals with tusks such as elephants and pigs which would cause problems when swimming. Very occasionally a male will grow two tusks, one from each side though the right tusk also has a left hand spiral rather than being a mirror image as might be expected, around 1 in 500 male narwhals have two tusks. The tusks don't grow out below the lip, they actually grow entirely horizontally in relation to the skull so actually break through the upper lip rather than emerging from the mouth as do other animals tusks. While the tusk is essentially a tooth it has a structure rather different to that of a typical tooth being sort of inside-out with the outside being porous and the hard, usually external enamel layer in the center the opposite way to your teeth. There is a pulp at the very center (like other mammalian teeth) which has blood vessels and nerves and in the order of ten million channels that allow sea-water to enter the tusk. The purpose of the tusk was for a long time unknown or at least unproven.