Narwhal

Description:

Narwhal is called the unicorn of the seawith its long, spiraled tusk jutting from its head.

 Males most commonly have tusks, and some may even have two. The tusk, which can grow as long as 10 feet, is actually an enlarged tooth.

The tooth grows in a counterclockwise spiral. 

The tusk is unique to male narwhals.  Very rarely, a female will grow a tusk, or a narwhal will grow two tusks.

 Tusks exported from the Arctic, perhaps by the Vikings, reached Europe, the Mediterranean, and even the Far East as early as the Middle Ages and became the source of the unicorn myth. 

The tusks were sold without a good description of the animal from which they came and inspired a great deal of fantasy.

Physical Apperance:

Narwhals lack a dorsal fin, and in adults the flippers are turned upward at the tips. Their mottled gray bodies are darker above than below, and they usually attain a length of 3.5 to 5 metres (11.5 to 16.4 feet), with males being larger than females. Adult males weigh about 1,600 kg (3,500 pounds); females weigh about 1,000 kg.

Habitat:

Narwhals spend their lives in the Arctic waters of Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia. The majority of the world’s narwhals winter for up to five months under the sea ice in the Baffin Bay-Davis Strait area (between Canada and western Greenland). Cracks in the ice allow them to breathe when needed, especially after dives, which can be up to a mile and a half deep. They feed mainly on Greenland halibut, along with other fish, squid and shrimp.

Predators:

Predators of the narwhal include killer whales and, to a lesser extent, polar bears and walruses. 

Diet:

Narwhals feed on Greenland halibut, Arctic and polar cod, squid and shrimp.