Narwhal: The Unicorn Of The Sea

“Bye buddy, I hope you find your dad!” Mr. Narwhal from Elf.

That is what literally comes to my mind when I think of Narwhals, a Christmas movie with the “unique unicorn of the sea”. In today’s blog, I am talking about Narwhals, how unique they are, why they are important, and what threats they face.

Narwhals are called the “unicorn of the sea” typically because of the unique tusk that males and some females have. I also like to think that they are called this because of how rare they are. The population of Narwhals is around 170,000. And like unicorns, there is still a mystery to Narwhals. There is so much we still do not know of Narwhals. Narwhals are porpoises related to orcas and bottlenosed dolphins. They live in the arctic waters of Greenland, Canada, Norway, and Russia. The giant tusk that the males are known for is actually a very long tooth and can grow up to 9 feet long. Narwhals can dive up to 5000 feet deep! Their diet consists of squid, fish, and shrimp. Narwhals may be rare and unique but they are very important.

Photo from National Geographic

Narwhals are part of the very sensitive food chain of the arctic. Narwhals travel in the icy waters of the arctic and the open ocean, in this journey, they visit feeding spots. They are at the top of the food chain, without them the food chain would change, therefore changing the marine environment. The Narwhals are culturally also important to the indigenous people who live in the arctic. Not only do they provide food to these indigenous communities but are a part of the stories that they have passed down to new generations. These communities rely on the balance of their delicate ecosystem. For someone who lives in other parts of the world or even in a land-locked state or country, this may not seem all that bad. For these communities it means everything, and I just want others to put themselves in their shoes. The narwhal and all connected to the arctic have many threats, and if not addressed and fixed will be disastrous.

The most immediate threat for narwhals is the ice melting. The ice is important for arctic animals, it means protection. The ice is melting due to an increase in ocean temperature from the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and other greenhouse gases. Interestingly enough, recent studies have shown that whales can be a solution to the CO₂ problem since they capture large amounts of carbon. The ice melting means that a path that was once blocked off to people, boats, and ships is now becoming more accessible. This is the second threat, with boats and ships this is threatening the migratory path for the Narwhals. This also gives people access to the Narwhals and threatens their lives through more competitive hunting. The third threat is related to the second, and that is that boats and ships create noise pollution making it hard for pods to communicate, feed, find mates, and protect their young from predators. It’s like someone putting a blindfold on you in a busy intersection and then they purposefully make it busier. You are likely to get hurt. The truth is many large industries and companies find this new path as great news because it makes routes easier for them, but completely disregard what the consequences mean. With ships and boats passing this also means there is a higher chance of oil spills, which pollute such a pristine ecosystem. What can be done?

So how do you and I make a difference? It may feel as we can’t do much but that is just not true. You and I can support organizations that are fighting for the protection of the arctic, like WWF-Canada. Donating to organizations like this ensures that they have resources for research to learn more about these animals and their ecosystem. We can also sign petitions and urge world leaders to protect the arctic and other important marine ecosystems through platforms like Only.One. Ultimately, this will affect us all so we must act now. I encourage you to take action today, find one way that you can help.

Friend, I hope you learned something new! Let me know something new that you learned?