NARWHAL

Monodon Monoceros

The Narwhal is a species of Cetacean found in the Arctic circle around Greenland, Canada, and Russia. The Narwhal is known for its iconic tusk that males are born with. It is a common misconception that both male and females have tusks. They are born with deep, black skin and do not have tusks. As they grow older their skin becomes more pale, and the left tooth on their upper jaw begins to grow outward and pierce the lip. It is extraordinarily rare, but it has been known that sometimes a Narwhal will be born with two tusks. The use of this tusk is unknown. I personally think that male Narwhals use them to fight over mating rights. There are many myths and legends about the Narwhal. One Inuit legend claims that a woman tied a harpoon to her waist and threw it into the sea (though i’m not sure why) It struck a whale. The whale pulled her into the water and she was transformed into a narwhal. Other European legends said that the Narwhal was a magical creature whose “horn” could heal sickness. Tusks were sold for tremendous amounts of gold and were sometimes carved into cups to prevent people from becoming poisoned.