Narwhals: The Non-Mythical Unicorn of the Arctic Oceans

Humanity might be the worst thing in the known universe, so why not take a break from that and learn about the non-mythical Unicorn of the Ocean, aka Narwhals. The first thing that comes up when you Google search Narwhals is “Do Narwhals still exist?” proving Amber isn’t the only one that thought they were a made up animal, and that there is a lot of confusion when it comes to this whale.

Narwhals are not technically endangered. However, narwhals are especially threatened by climate change. Like most arctic predators they need sea ice to survive, and as we all know, sea ice is quickly disappearing. Narwhals do not survive in captivity, and any attempt to introduce them into aquariums has ended disastrously.

Narwhals’ are best known for their tusks, which are actually an elongated tooth. Humans used to trade these teeth as magical unicorn horns, which was believed to neutralize poison. (For more info on this, listen to our Unicorn episode). Why do male narwhals and a few female narwhals grow these tusks?  That’s still up for debate. 

Not a lot is known about Narwhal behavior, because they’re surprisingly good at staying hidden and the location they live in is dark most of the year, cold, and covered in ice.

Listen now to learn about the only Unicorn that will probably ever exist on this planet.

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