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Washington Post
13-03-2025
- Science
- Washington Post
Narwhals, ‘unicorns of the sea,' might use their tusks for play
Among the more bizarre aesthetic features found in the animal kingdom is the narwhal's tusk. Protruding up to 10 feet from the whale's head, the spiral of ivory has earned these creatures the nickname 'unicorn of the sea.' But what exactly narwhals do with these tusks is still being studied, and scientists say they may have observed a previously undocumented use for them: play. Researchers used drones to film narwhals in northern Canada's Nunavut territory during the summer of 2022 and published their findings last month in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. The footage was taken as part of a years-long, ongoing project observing how Arctic whales are behaving in the face of threats such as climate change and increased shipping, in collaboration with Indigenous communities. In one instance, researchers captured the whales chasing a fish with their tusks. The narwhals mirrored and tracked the fish's movements, speeding up and slowing down to keep pace with it. But they did not try to catch it, and they seemed to eventually allow the fish to swim away. The footage 'may be the first recorded evidence of play, specifically exploratory-object play, in narwhals,' the researchers wrote. Greg O'Corry-Crowe, a co-author of the study and biologist at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, said in an interview that the 'symphony' between the narwhals and the fish appeared to be 'like a cat-and-mouse game,' a behavior the scientists were not expecting to find. 'Typically in the natural world, we see play as quite rare in adult animals because they're busy, you know, getting on with life and maximizing their reproductive success and survival,' O'Corry-Crowe said. The tusk — actually a very long tooth — is seen primarily in male narwhals and appears rarely in females. There have been a variety of proposed purposes for the tusk. It's primary function is thought to be as a secondary sexual characteristic, used by males to compete for dominance and possibly mates. Groups of two or more narwhals have been seen crossing their tusks in what could be a way of assessing a potential opponent, and scarring on males suggests they could be used as a weapon. Narwhals have been observed using their tusks to hit fish while hunting them. Scientists have also suggested that the tusks, which are replete with nerves, may have a sensory purpose, such as detecting the salinity and temperature of water. Whale and Dolphin Conservation spokesperson Danny Groves, who was not involved in the Frontiers study, said in an email that it's 'not uncommon for whales and dolphins to use tools or to engage in activities just for fun.' Narwhals are 'highly social, large-brained mammals' he said, calling the findings 'a sign of high intelligence' in the unicorns of the sea. Kristin Laidre, senior principal scientist at the University of Washington's Polar Science Center, who was also not involved in the study, said she 'would not rule out the possibility that females also chase or play with fish, even in the absence of a tusk.' O'Corry-Crowe, the study co-author, said that relatively new technologies such as airborne and underwater cameras are opening up new possibilities for scientists to observe animals and that the footage is a reminder of how much is left to learn about the natural environment. 'People like to hear stories that are from the remote reaches of our world,' he said. '… When somebody comes back and says, 'We've seen things we've never seen before,' it gives you hope that there are more mysteries, there's more beauty, and that there's excitement in the discovery of the world.'
The Independent
13-03-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Scientists discover narwhals putting their long tusks to surprising new use
Drone footage has captured narwhals using their iconic long tusks to engage in previously unseen behaviour, including to play with their food, leaving scientists perplexed. The Arctic whale species, also an inspiration for mythical beasts such as the unicorn, have tusks that grow up to 10m, especially in males. However, the many functions of the long tusks are debated as very few researchers have observed these elusive animals use their tusks in the wild. Previous studies have revealed that the spiralling tusks are the mammal's canine teeth that are pushed out through their lips. sensory organ by itself, helping the whales measure the salt concentration of water. Now a new study, published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, scientists provide the first evidence of narwhals using their tusks to probe, manipulate and influence the behaviour of the fish Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). 'This unique study where we set up a remote field camp and spent time filming narwhals with drones is yielding many interesting insights and is providing a bird's eye view of their behaviour that we have never seen before,' said Cortney Watt, an author of the study. "Our observations provide clear evidence of narwhals chasing fish and using their tusks to interact directly with the fish and to influence the fish's behaviour," said Greg O'Corry-Crowe, another author of the study. The marine mammals used remarkable dexterity in using their tusk with regular adjustments to track their moving target, scientists say. They used the tip of their tusk to interrogate and manipulate fish with brief contact, eliciting a response from the fish, the study noted. Narwhals were also spotted delivering sufficient force with their tusks to stun and possibly kill the fish. Overall, researchers captured 17 distinct tusk-use behaviours among narwhals, shedding light on their dynamics with their prey and with other competitors like birds. One of the drone footage shows evidence of what seems like playful behaviour by narwhals in a changing Arctic. The footage hold clues to better understanding social learning, instruction, and personality differences among individual narwhals, scientists say. They also document for the first time complex interactions between narwhals, fish and birds. One of these interactions includes what scientists call an attempted kleptoparasitism, or a "food thief" situation between narwhals and gulls. Researchers suspect changing environmental conditions in the Arctic might be introducing such new interspecies encounters. "Narwhals are known for their 'tusking' behaviour, where two or more of them simultaneously raise their tusks almost vertically out of the water, crossing them in what may be a ritualistic behaviour to assess a potential opponent's qualities or to display those qualities to potential mates," Dr O'Corry-Crowe said. "But now we know that narwhal tusks have other uses, some quite unexpected, including foraging, exploration and play,' he said.
New York Times
12-03-2025
- Science
- New York Times
Videos Show Narwhals Using Their Tusks to Play With Their Food
For an animal with an ivory appendage half the length of its body protruding from the top of its head, a narwhal moves in the water with surprising grace. 'It's almost mesmerizing,' said Greg O'Corry-Crowe, a research professor at Florida Atlantic University who studies marine mammals. 'The precision with which they wielded their tusks, it wasn't like a broadsword. It was like a surgical instrument or the bow of a violin.' In research published last month in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, Dr. O'Corry-Crowe and colleagues make the case that narwhals aren't only showing off with their tusks — the appendages have a variety of demonstrated uses that help the animals survive in the ocean. The narwhal's tusk was an inspiration for unicorn myths. It's known that only males have them, with rare exception, and that a big tusk is something female narwhals look for in a mate. But the animals have been difficult to study. 'They're extremely shy and elusive whales,' said Kristine Laidre, an applied animal ecology professor at the University of Washington who was not involved in the study. 'They're really hard to approach. They're really skittish.' She added that narwhals tended to spend their time far from shore and diving deep into the water, and that doing research in the Arctic was logistically complex, making them a challenging species to observe in the wild. With the help of local Inuit communities, the team of researchers identified a spot in the Canadian High Arctic to set up camp and fly drones. The calm waters of Creswell Bay in Nunavut, where narwhals had previously been observed spending their summers, were shallow and clear and — combined with the 24-hour daylight in August — allowed the researchers to film some of the best footage of narwhals ever captured. As Dr. O'Corry-Crowe and team studied their recordings, they identified previously unobserved tusk behaviors. And one of those behaviors looked an awful lot like playing. In more than one instance, narwhals chased arctic char but did not, strangely, try to catch and eat it. The whales even slowed down when necessary to keep the fish just off the tip of their tusks. When they did interact with the fish in these encounters, they used gentle taps or nudges — a stark difference more aggressive uses of their tusks when they were observed hunting fish. And in fact, the arctic char also didn't seem to always be trying to escape the pursuing narwhals. 'They are not actually foraging on the fish, and we were hesitant to use the word 'play,' but that is really what it looked like,' said Cortney Watt, a researcher with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and an author of the study. She added that it was also possible the older narwhals were using such behavior to teach younger ones how to pursue prey. The footage also captured the whales doing some deft spearfishing. While narwhals had been seen before using their tusks to stun fish before eating them, this is the first published study documenting that behavior. The narwhals stabbed and slashed fish with both the tip and the shaft of their tusks, disabling and possibly killing the fish before consuming their prey. While spearfishing, the narwhals were also interrupted by glaucous gulls, which kept diving into the water to snatch the fish. Though sea gulls are known to track and scavenge off the hunts of other sea mammals, this was the first recorded interaction of this behavior with narwhals, specifically. Dr. Laidre said that it was best not to jump to too many conclusions about narwhal behavior observed in a single study. The researchers agree, and that is why they didn't want to label the narwhals' interactions with arctic char as play explicitly. Dr. O'Corry-Crowe added that many of the behaviors his team observed 'raise more questions than they answer, but that's what's so exciting.' 'What we really need to do is go back and do some more work,' he said. 'And I can't wait to do that.'
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Remarkable Drone Footage Reveals How Narwhals Use Their Tusks
With a fabled ability to purify tainted water or heal ailments, the narwhal's spiraling tusk was highly coveted during the Middle Ages when it was mistaken for a unicorn's horn. As narwhals (Monodon monoceros) are almost as elusive as the fantasy they helped fuel, researchers have had a tough time determining what the marine mammal's oddly elongated tooth is actually for. Drone footage of a pod in their Arctic habitat now provides some unexpected answers, with the animals using their tusks to manipulate objects, forage, explore, and even play. "I have been studying narwhal for over a decade and have always marveled at their tusks," says University of Manitoba ecologist Cortney Watt. "To observe them using their tusks for foraging and play is remarkable." The tusk, which can grow up to 3 meters (9 feet) long, is the only tooth possessed by these toothed whales. Like the rings on a tree, its growth layers record an individual's life history. Yet most female narwhals lack tusks, revealing the spear-like tooth is – at least in part – involved in sexual selection. Females prefer males with longer tusks, placing evolutionary pressure on populations to grow even longer tusks similar to how male peacocks are encouraged to grow such elaborately fancy tails. That doesn't mean the tusk is purely decorative. A previous study discovered the tusk is also crammed with nerves, hinting at more complex roles. The new footage and analysis confirm the narwhal's mysterious tooth has a sensitive side. "Narwhals are known for their 'tusking' behavior, where two or more of them simultaneously raise their tusks almost vertically out of the water, crossing them in what may be a ritualistic behavior to assess a potential opponent's qualities or to display those qualities to potential mates," explains Florida Atlantic University ecologist Greg O'Corry-Crowe. "But now we know that narwhal tusks have other uses, some quite unexpected, including foraging, exploration, and play." O'Corry-Crowe and colleagues filmed a pod of narwhals using their tusks to manipulate the behavior of fish with remarkable precision while tracking their prey's movements. This included stunning or possibly killing them. "The whale and fish movements were so closely mirrored, it was unclear at times which animal was the primary actor and who was the responder," the team writes in their report. In another sequence, a younger narwhal tried to copy the technique of an older individual who was hot on the heels of a fish, the senior narwhal's tusk within centimeters of the prey. The younger hunter's tusk came barely within a meter of its target. Neither mammal actually tried to eat the prey, suggesting this was practice or even a form of entertainment. If so, it may be the first ever evidence of play in the creaking and chirping narwhals, as well as a possible example of social learning, the researchers suggest. Sadly, the shielding sea ice these sea unicorns rely on to avoid their predators, like orcas, is now rapidly melting thanks to human-caused global warming. The Arctic is warming four times as fast as the rest of the world, and narwhals are considered the region's most vulnerable marine mammals. "Drones provide a unique, real-time view of their behavior, helping scientists gather crucial data on how narwhals are responding to shifts in ice patterns, prey availability, and other environmental changes," says O'Corry-Crowe. "Such studies are key to understanding the impact of global warming on these elusive animals." This research was published in Frontiers in Marine Science. Largest Insect on Earth Headed For Extinction Thanks to Our Love of Chocolate The Sun's Activity Can Trigger Earthquakes, And Now We Know How These Woolly Mice Bring The Mammoth's De-Extinction a Step Closer
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Behold Rare Footage of What Narwhals Actually Use Their Tusks For
Narwhal tusks are the stuff of legends, literally. Growing up to ten feet long, they were once believed by some medieval cultures to be the horns of mythical creatures like the unicorn — not to mention the inspiration for Jules Verne's iconic nineteenth-century science fiction novel "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas." As prominent a fixture of public fascination they may be, scientists have long struggled to understand how narwhals actually use these long, spirally protrusions. The tusks, which are actually an elongated tooth that typically belong to males of the Arctic whale species, are known to be flaunted in mating rituals, but whether they served other purposes has escaped observation. Now, as reported in a study published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, a team of researchers from the US and Canada have used drones to capture rare footage of the whales using their tusks in the wild, including the first video evidence of the tusks being used to toy with and investigate their surroundings. "Narwhals are known for their 'tusking' behavior, where two or more of them simultaneously raise their tusks almost vertically out of the water, crossing them in what may be a ritualistic behavior to assess a potential opponent's qualities or to display those qualities to potential mates," study senior author Greg O'Corry-Crowe, a research professor at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Florida, said in a statement. "But now we know that narwhal tusks have other uses, some quite unexpected, including foraging, exploration and play." In total, the researchers documented seventeen distinct behaviors, many of which included interacting with nearby fish. In some cases, the narwhals used their tusks, non-forcefully, to influence the fish's behavior. They would tap the fish, slowly push them downwards, flip them, or knock them off-course — but not with the intent of eating them, curiously. The researchers suggest that this is a sign of "exploratory-object-play," in which the whales are simply trying to understand their surroundings, like a never-before-encountered fish, by playing with them. But when it was time to forage, the researchers observed the whales using their tusks to violently strike the fish, often in rapid succession in side-to-side slashes. This incapacitated, stunned, and possibly even killed the creatures. Sometimes, the narwhals also used their tusks to ward off food thieves like seagulls. The tusks may be lengthy but are by no means unwieldy. According to the researchers, the whales showed remarkable dexterity and speed when tracking fish with the tip of their tusks. And they'd have to be, to pull off maneuvers like "near instantaneous turns up to 360 degrees, completed in under three seconds which were achieved by rotating the body on its side and moving the head downwards towards its tail," as the researchers wrote in the study. The narwhals also exhibited social behavior. "Some of the interactions we saw appeared competitive in nature with one whale blocking or trying to block another whale's access to the same target fish, while others may have been more subtle, possibly communicative and even affiliative," O'Corry-Crowe said. "None appeared overtly aggressive." These social interactions, the researchers suggest, could accelerate how the whales adapt to the shifting conditions in the Arctic due to climate change. More on marine life: Great White Sharks Are Suddenly Washing Up Dead With Swollen Brains
