The “unicorn of the sea” surprises science: its tusk is not just for hunting

The narwhal is one of the most distinctive of all sea creatures and it’s long, spiralling tusk, has fuelled legends for centuries.

However, it’s only recently that we have discovered the function of it’s unique long tusk as for years, many claimed that it was either a weapon, a sensor or even a courtship ornament.

Despite its fame, observing a narwhals in action, using their tusks, has been a scientific rarity.

Now, thanks to the use of sea drones and an international team of researchers led by Greg O’Corry-Crowe and Cortney Watt, we have for the first time detailed images of actual tusk use in the wild. The study, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, not only documents hunting behaviour with the tusk, but reveals something even more unexpected: narwhals also use it to play, explore and possibly teach other members of their group.

Drones offer insight

Observing marine animals from the surface is a complicated matter and even more so if they live in such remote and icy waters as those of the Arctic. This is where drones made a decisive difference. Flying more than 20 metres above the surface, these devices recorded the natural behaviour of groups of narwhals for hours without disturbing them. Seventeen different types of behaviour were identified, some of them clearly associated with hunting, and others that could not be explained as mere survival actions.

In one of the most detailed observations, three narwhals chased a fish for several minutes, adjusting their movements to keep it in sight of the tusk. One of them hit it several times with the tip and side of the tusk. Despite the intensity of the chase, there was no clear attempt to consume the fish, suggesting a possible playful or training function.

Play activity

One of the most fascinating findings of the study is the suggestion that narwhals not only play, but do so in complex ways. In the first group observed, the researchers describe how one of the youngest individuals closely followed a more experienced adult without interacting directly with the fish, as if it were learning. This type of observation suggests advanced social behaviour and potential for learning by imitation or instruction.

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