Narwhal

Narwhals have never been successfully kept in captivity, the only way to view them is in the wild. 

The few places to see narwhal include the floe edge of Lancaster Sound and Baffin Bay in Canada’s High Arctic. 

One of the threats to the Narwhal is the rapid climate change in the Canadian Arctic. 

Decreases in natural ice cover and thickness is the cause of narwhals starting to be endangered. Because the ice on Arctic waters is decreasing this is causing orcas to come more into the arctic waters which boosts predation on narwhals. 

When the ice thins and narwhals go up closer to the surface Polar bears grab the narwhals and use great strength to pull them up onto the ice 

The fish and food they eat are also being affected by climate change and pollution in the arctic the narwhals are even more vulnerable 

Global warming affects food supply and habitat. 

Number 1 predators, polar bears and orcas 

They feed on squid, shrimp and fish such as halibut and cod, often diving to great depths because some of these animals are only found in certain depths of water

They communicate with each other by using their squeals trills and clicks 

Only sleep when their tired, don’t have an actual sleep/wake schedule 

They’re not nocturnal or diurnal

Use sound to navigate as well as their tusk

At the top of the food chain and keep their prey in balance.

Narwhals adapt to their environment because of their coloring

They stay alive by migrating to different places in the winter for food

Narwhals have adapted a very flexible neck so they can scan the deep waters of the arctic better

They are able to hold their breath for up to twenty minutes

Narwhals generally move slowly because they have no dorsal fins, but when in need are known to be remarkably quick 

They rotate their tusk to threaten the predators.

The narwhals are fast swimming animals that live and feed in the depths of the icy seas 

Population more than 80 000 now 

Inuit hunting allowance went down from 236 to 134 

The number of narwhals declined to an estimated 10,489 animals in 2013 —half the number from the last survey in 2004, of 20,000.

It’s also possible narwhals are just going somewhere else. Aerial surveys revealed that the population of narwhals in Admiralty Inlet, around the northern coast of Baffin Island, had nearly doubled to 35,000 from roughly 18,000 counted in 2010. 

1. Structural and Behavioral Adaptations

What is a narwhal's horn for? Every time you see one, which isn't very often, I bet it’s the question you ask yourself. Well I finally have the answer! In reality the narwhal’s tusk is a very long canine front tooth, able to grow up to nine feet in length. On top of that a narwhal has nerve endings inside their tusk, connecting it to their brain. That gives them the ability to detect when waters have different temperatures and chemical balances. For example, they can tell when water contains more salt. Their long tusk also helps them hunt their prey. If you think that their tusks are cool just listen to these other cool adaptations they have! Living in arctic conditions can be rough so it’s a good thing narwhal’s have a thick layer of blubber helping them retain their heat. Also they can hold their breath for up to 20 minutes and change colors to camouflage in water!

2. Endangered, Threatened, Extinct 

The Narwhal is classified as a species that is “near threatened” rather than endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN. There are many reasons for this and one being because of the rapid climate change in the Canadian Arctic. The decreases in natural ice cover and thickness result the Orcas to swim in Arctic waters and that is a danger to Narwhals being that the Orcas are one their number one predators. The changing climate also tampers with the whales various food sources, but by inhabiting the northern hemisphere polar seas the animals are potentially vulnerable to human activities, once again putting them at risk.  

3. Narwhals are unique because they spend most of their lives in arctic waters while other whales will migrate to keep warm. Narwhals also happen to be near the top of the food chain, it’s only predators being polar bears and killer whales. This indicates that they are very good predators themselves, feeding on fish, green land halibut, shrimp and many more aquatic animals. Without narwhals there would be an unbalanced ecosystem!  

4. An animal with a narrow niche or in other words a specialist means they are only able to survive in a certain climate/habitat. An animal with a broad niche or a generalist means they are able to survive in more climates and habitats. Our animal is a specialist because the narwhal is a large fast swimming whale only able to survive in the depths of the icy seas. The only time they come up to the surface is to take a breath which is every 20 minutes or so. 

7. The narwhal has many types of prey. Fish, shrimp and other animals. The real question is, how do they defend and attack to get food? Narwhals have very flexible necks meaning they are able to scan deep waters very quickly. Holding their breath up to 20 minutes also gives them an advantage. They also have their long tusk that helps them stab their prey, in conclusion the narwhals have many ways of helping them catch their prey. 

Narwhals don’t migrate. In winter and summer they stay in the depths of the icy seas. This suits them because their prey, shrimp fish and cod, also live in that same area, this makes hunting easy. Living that deep in the ocean is good for them because their predators, killer whales and polar bears, aren’t able to get to them. Narwhals have a commensalism relationship with barnacles. The barnacles latch onto the big whale and feed in the open waters as the narwhal navigates throughout the ocean. As the narwhals have a dependant relationship with barnacles they practice parasitism with lice crustaceans because they attach onto narwhals and feed on the tissues essential for the narwhal to live. Narwhals are needed in their niche because they are the transportation system for barnacles. While there are 2 other whales in the Arctic all year round, the narwhals are in a wider range meaning they can cover more areas in the Arctic. Without narwhals the barnacles would eventually die off in those areas because they aren’t able to move on their own. Barnacles play an important role in the food chain because they are filtering organisms, this is why they are extremely necessary. 

Narwhals are slowly getting more and more fragile and endangered and will soon be extinct. 2 major factors are affecting this cause, hunting and global warming. Narwhals are very consistent with their navigation patterns, making it easier for people like the Inuit’s to track them as they are used to living in habitats consisting of deep cold waters. This is convenient for the inuits because they always know where to find them, but when it comes to keeping the narwhal population safe, it is not so good. Since natural ice cover is decreasing in the Arctic it has become harder for the Inuit to maintain their hunting relationships with the animal because their movements have become less predictable. When narwhals are scared they slow their heart rates down to 3-4 beats per minute. This can alone result in the death of these animals. Global warming is also harming the narwhals as there are less cold places it can migrate to in the Arctic. Narwhals are losing their habitats, resulting in new adaptations they now have to make to create new homes and environments to live in.