Latest news with #O'Corry-Crowe
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.'
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
10-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Narwhals may be using their tusks to play, new study finds
Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. (CNN) — Scientists say they have the first recorded video evidence of narwhals using tusks not only to strike and manipulate fish during feeding but also engage in what appears to be playful behavior, according to the latest research. The narwhal, often referred to as the 'unicorn of the sea' in a nod to its trademark tusk, has long remained an enigma. Scientists have observed few interactions of narwhals in their natural habitat, creating speculation about the purpose of the species' distinctive spiraling tusk. Found predominantly in males, the tusk grows up to 10 feet (3 meters) long — and previous research has suggested it serves as a competitive display to secure mates. But now, with the help of drones, research conducted in the Canadian High Arctic has uncovered that a narwhal may use its tusk for more than just courtship. In total, the researchers newly identified and described 17 distinct behaviors of narwhals involving prey. The findings revealed a wide range of interactions and dynamics between narwhals and fish as well as the extraordinary agility, precision and speed of their tusks to track moving targets, according to the study published February 27 in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. 'Seeing that these animals are not actually hunting the fish but exploring, manipulating and interacting with it was really a game changer,' said lead author Dr. Gregory O'Corry-Crowe, a research professor in the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University. Since so little is understood about this whale species, researchers like O'Corry-Crowe and his colleagues are working diligently to conduct studies to document narwhals' unknown behaviors to better understand how these animals adapt in a rapidly shifting habitat as oceans warm and sea ice melts. The study team captured the groundbreaking footage using drones in Creswell Bay, on the eastern side of Somerset Island in Canada's Nunavut territory, during the summer of 2022. As the researchers analyzed the footage, they noticed subtle nuances in the narwhals' behavior. Footage even captured one instance of a narwhal interacting with a fish by repeatedly nudging it with its tusk — which is actually a giant tooth — without attempting to eat it. When researchers observed a lack of aggression in some interactions between narwhals and fish, they realized these scenarios were more similar to a cat-and-mouse game, in which the animals were chasing or 'playing' rather than hunting, O'Corry-Crowe said. 'Play is a very important aspect of developing behavioral skills that will be important in terms of survival in other ways, but the fact that they're engaged in this kind of work reminds us that these species have very complex and interesting lives,' O'Corry-Crowe said. Younger narwhals also tended to imitate the behavior of older ones, indicating that social learning could influence how narwhals use their tusks, according to the study. '(The) use of drones to study cetaceans has, in recent years, been revealing remarkable insights into previously undocumented behaviors,' said Anna Moscrop, head of science at Whale and Dolphin Conservation, an international charity dedicated to protecting whales and dolphins, via email. Moscrop was not involved in the study. The research team worked around the clock, taking full advantage of the 24-hour daylight during the summer months to observe the narwhals. O'Corry-Crowe emphasized the crucial role of collaboration with indigenous communities in the region, whose partnership and knowledge contributed to the success of the research. While the study mainly focused on tusk use, researchers also discovered other important behavioral shifts, particularly in narwhals' dietary habits. The team found an unexpected predator-prey competition dynamic. Glaucous gulls — large gray-and-white seabirds that inhabit the Arctic — frequently attempted to steal fish from narwhals, significantly reducing the amount of prey they were able to catch. Although gulls are known for stealing food gathered by land animals, there are few observations of seabirds stealing food from marine animals, Moscrop said. In response to these challenges, narwhals may dive deeper into the ocean to hunt for larger or denser schools of fish, making the trade-off for easier catches more worthwhile, O'Corry-Crowe said. Narwhals usually feed on deep-sea animals, such as squid or halibut. However, researchers observed narwhals hunting Arctic char closer to the ocean's surface, which is a shift in their hunting behaviors that raises concerns. 'We're in a race against time where we're trying to get in the field more to not only witness the impacts on (narwhal life) but also how they are hopefully trying to adapt,' O'Corry-Crowe said. He said narwhals are likely adjusting their diet to account for environmental changes, such as rising ocean temperatures and increased human shipping activity in the area. 'Narwhals are highly sensitive and vulnerable to the effects of climate change because of the very close association of their lives with sea ice for food, navigation and refuge,' Moscrop said. 'The habitat range of the narwhal is changing and will be restricted as oceans warm.'
CNN
08-03-2025
- Science
- CNN
Narwhals may be using their tusks to play, new study finds
(CNN) — Scientists say they have the first recorded video evidence of narwhals using tusks not only to strike and manipulate fish during feeding but also engage in what appears to be playful behavior, according to the latest research. The narwhal, often referred to as the 'unicorn of the sea' in a nod to its trademark tusk, has long remained an enigma. Scientists have observed few interactions of narwhals in their natural habitat, creating speculation about the purpose of the species' distinctive spiraling tusk. Found predominantly in males, the tusk grows up to 10 feet (3 meters) long — and previous research has suggested it serves as a competitive display to secure mates. But now, with the help of drones, research conducted in the Canadian High Arctic has uncovered that a narwhal may use its tusk for more than just courtship. In total, the researchers newly identified and described 17 distinct behaviors of narwhals involving prey. The findings revealed a wide range of interactions and dynamics between narwhals and fish as well as the extraordinary agility, precision and speed of their tusks to track moving targets, according to the study published February 27 in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. 'Seeing that these animals are not actually hunting the fish but exploring, manipulating and interacting with it was really a game changer,' said lead author Dr. Gregory O'Corry-Crowe, a research professor in the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University. Since so little is understood about this whale species, researchers like O'Corry-Crowe and his colleagues are working diligently to conduct studies to document narwhals' unknown behaviors to better understand how these animals adapt in a rapidly shifting habitat as oceans warm and sea ice melts. Narwhal exploratory behavior The study team captured the groundbreaking footage using drones in Creswell Bay, on the eastern side of Somerset Island in Canada's Nunavut territory, during the summer of 2022. As the researchers analyzed the footage, they noticed subtle nuances in the narwhals' behavior. Footage even captured one instance of a narwhal interacting with a fish by repeatedly nudging it with its tusk — which is actually a giant tooth — without attempting to eat it. When researchers observed a lack of aggression in some interactions between narwhals and fish, they realized these scenarios were more similar to a cat-and-mouse game, in which the animals were chasing or 'playing' rather than hunting, O'Corry-Crowe said. 'Play is a very important aspect of developing behavioral skills that will be important in terms of survival in other ways, but the fact that they're engaged in this kind of work reminds us that these species have very complex and interesting lives,' O'Corry-Crowe said. Younger narwhals also tended to imitate the behavior of older ones, indicating that social learning could influence how narwhals use their tusks, according to the study. '(The) use of drones to study cetaceans has, in recent years, been revealing remarkable insights into previously undocumented behaviors,' said Anna Moscrop, head of science at Whale and Dolphin Conservation, an international charity dedicated to protecting whales and dolphins, via email. Moscrop was not involved in the study. The research team worked around the clock, taking full advantage of the 24-hour daylight during the summer months to observe the narwhals. O'Corry-Crowe emphasized the crucial role of collaboration with indigenous communities in the region, whose partnership and knowledge contributed to the success of the research. Environmental adaptation While the study mainly focused on tusk use, researchers also discovered other important behavioral shifts, particularly in narwhals' dietary habits. The team found an unexpected predator-prey competition dynamic. Glaucous gulls — large gray-and-white seabirds that inhabit the Arctic — frequently attempted to steal fish from narwhals, significantly reducing the amount of prey they were able to catch. Although gulls are known for stealing food gathered by land animals, there are few observations of seabirds stealing food from marine animals, Moscrop said. In response to these challenges, narwhals may dive deeper into the ocean to hunt for larger or denser schools of fish, making the trade-off for easier catches more worthwhile, O'Corry-Crowe said. Narwhals usually feed on deep-sea animals, such as squid or halibut. However, researchers observed narwhals hunting Arctic char closer to the ocean's surface, which is a shift in their hunting behaviors that raises concerns. 'We're in a race against time where we're trying to get in the field more to not only witness the impacts on (narwhal life) but also how they are hopefully trying to adapt,' O'Corry-Crowe said. He said narwhals are likely adjusting their diet to account for environmental changes, such as rising ocean temperatures and increased human shipping activity in the area. 'Narwhals are highly sensitive and vulnerable to the effects of climate change because of the very close association of their lives with sea ice for food, navigation and refuge,' Moscrop said. 'The habitat range of the narwhal is changing and will be restricted as oceans warm.'
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Narwhals may be using their tusks to play, new study finds
Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. (CNN) — Scientists say they have the first recorded video evidence of narwhals using tusks not only to strike and manipulate fish during feeding but also engage in what appears to be playful behavior, according to the latest research. The narwhal, often referred to as the 'unicorn of the sea' in a nod to its trademark tusk, has long remained an enigma. Scientists have observed few interactions of narwhals in their natural habitat, creating speculation about the purpose of the species' distinctive spiraling tusk. Found predominantly in males, the tusk grows up to 10 feet (3 meters) long — and previous research has suggested it serves as a competitive display to secure mates. But now, with the help of drones, research conducted in the Canadian High Arctic has uncovered that a narwhal may use its tusk for more than just courtship. In total, the researchers newly identified and described 17 distinct behaviors of narwhals involving prey. The findings revealed a wide range of interactions and dynamics between narwhals and fish as well as the extraordinary agility, precision and speed of their tusks to track moving targets, according to the study published February 27 in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. 'Seeing that these animals are not actually hunting the fish but exploring, manipulating and interacting with it was really a game changer,' said lead author Dr. Gregory O'Corry-Crowe, a research professor in the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University. Since so little is understood about this whale species, researchers like O'Corry-Crowe and his colleagues are working diligently to conduct studies to document narwhals' unknown behaviors to better understand how these animals adapt in a rapidly shifting habitat as oceans warm and sea ice melts. The study team captured the groundbreaking footage using drones in Creswell Bay, on the eastern side of Somerset Island in Canada's Nunavut territory, during the summer of 2022. As the researchers analyzed the footage, they noticed subtle nuances in the narwhals' behavior. Footage even captured one instance of a narwhal interacting with a fish by repeatedly nudging it with its tusk — which is actually a giant tooth — without attempting to eat it. When researchers observed a lack of aggression in some interactions between narwhals and fish, they realized these scenarios were more similar to a cat-and-mouse game, in which the animals were chasing or 'playing' rather than hunting, O'Corry-Crowe said. 'Play is a very important aspect of developing behavioral skills that will be important in terms of survival in other ways, but the fact that they're engaged in this kind of work reminds us that these species have very complex and interesting lives,' O'Corry-Crowe said. Younger narwhals also tended to imitate the behavior of older ones, indicating that social learning could influence how narwhals use their tusks, according to the study. '(The) use of drones to study cetaceans has, in recent years, been revealing remarkable insights into previously undocumented behaviors,' said Anna Moscrop, head of science at Whale and Dolphin Conservation, an international charity dedicated to protecting whales and dolphins, via email. Moscrop was not involved in the study. The research team worked around the clock, taking full advantage of the 24-hour daylight during the summer months to observe the narwhals. O'Corry-Crowe emphasized the crucial role of collaboration with indigenous communities in the region, whose partnership and knowledge contributed to the success of the research. While the study mainly focused on tusk use, researchers also discovered other important behavioral shifts, particularly in narwhals' dietary habits. The team found an unexpected predator-prey competition dynamic. Glaucous gulls — large gray-and-white seabirds that inhabit the Arctic — frequently attempted to steal fish from narwhals, significantly reducing the amount of prey they were able to catch. Although gulls are known for stealing food gathered by land animals, there are few observations of seabirds stealing food from marine animals, Moscrop said. In response to these challenges, narwhals may dive deeper into the ocean to hunt for larger or denser schools of fish, making the trade-off for easier catches more worthwhile, O'Corry-Crowe said. Narwhals usually feed on deep-sea animals, such as squid or halibut. However, researchers observed narwhals hunting Arctic char closer to the ocean's surface, which is a shift in their hunting behaviors that raises concerns. 'We're in a race against time where we're trying to get in the field more to not only witness the impacts on (narwhal life) but also how they are hopefully trying to adapt,' O'Corry-Crowe said. He said narwhals are likely adjusting their diet to account for environmental changes, such as rising ocean temperatures and increased human shipping activity in the area. 'Narwhals are highly sensitive and vulnerable to the effects of climate change because of the very close association of their lives with sea ice for food, navigation and refuge,' Moscrop said. 'The habitat range of the narwhal is changing and will be restricted as oceans warm.'
