Watching clips of Frozen Planet on the BBC website I was completely captivated by the minute and a half video of narwhals and their journey across the frozen plains of the Arctic Ocean in search of shrimp, squid and fish. Navigating their way through can be dangerous, with the water currents continually shifting blocks of ice which could at any moment cut off the pods air supply. The thought of swimming down narrow passages of ice with the risk of being trapped sends a shudder down my spine, but with the promise of Arctic cod, it is a risk necessary for the narwhals' survival.
Narwhals live in the remote coastal waters and rivers of the Arctic, but migrate with the change of seasons. Their pods are usually made up of between 2 and 10 individuals, but larger groups may be seen when food supplies are abundant. They are classified in the cetacean family Monodontidae, along with the white beluga whale. These animals have two teeth, one of which grow straight through the male narwhals upper lip and spirals in an anti-clock wise direction and can reach nine feet in length. The appendage baffles scientists with its presence having, what seems no evolutionary advantage to the species. The ivory tusk is thought to be an important instrument in mating rituals whether to impress females (where size does matter!) or battle rival suitors. In females the two teeth typically remain embedded within the skull, but occasionally tusks of their own may form, but never reaching the size of their male counterparts. It's not known why the tusk spirals to the left, but it has to spiral in order to grow straight. The tusk lacks enamel, unlike most mammal teeth and has a pulp cavity that extends for its entire length.
The narwhal is thought to be the foundation of many legends with some medieval Europeans believing the narwhals tusk was the horn of unicorns. The 'horns' were considered to have magical properties, able to cure poison and depression. Vikings and other northern traders were able to sell them for ten times their weight in gold. Centuries later and the narwhals are still hunted for their ivory tusks both illegally and by the Inuit. The Inuit people however, use almost all parts of the narwhal - meat, skin, blubber and organs are all a vital source of Vitamin C which is hard to obtain in the northern climates. Apart from humans, the only other threats of predation to the narwhal is by polar bears and killer whales. Its shy nature and habitat make it a difficult whale to study, but presently there are thought to be 20,000 swimming around the Arctic. However, the population are threatened by climate change which is accelerating the destruction of their frozen home and depletion of their highly specialised food sources.
The narwhal is one of the most mystery mammals in our oceans and it's exciting to see more information unfolding about their way of life, conservation methods and the purpose of the tusk! Sitting in my nice warm flat in Scotland, I'm unfortunately hundreds of miles away from seeing real life narwhals and that is why I am so thankful for the wonderful documentaries like Frozen Planet that can take me to the narwhals' world and give me a sneak peak at these incredible creatures.
I hope my blog has raised your curiosity even a fraction about the narwhal and if you were debating whether to watch Frozen Planet or not - go, go now! Catch it on BBC iplayer. That's where I am headed right now! Thanks for reading. I'll leave you with a picture of a t-shirt, which I'm hoping Santa will be kind enough to bring me!
Heatherbelle <3
