Narwhal

Oft called the unicorn of the sea, these magnificent beasts are a rare sight, and very unique amongst whales and their ilk. These primarly fish eating toothed whales are almost enchanting and their body shape, even outside the long twisted 'horn' that seems more common in males, is part of that. Sleek, with no protruding dorsal fin like other members of the whale family. They also seem to defy the logic of being whales, that is needing to breathe air, for they choose to live in regions where winter conditions can see pack ice so dense that every time they dive away from any small hole or gap that they've found to take a breath, they risk suffocation and drowning for they may not find another one. Yet the species survives and even thrives in these harsh conditions.

Monroe Alvira Winston Esq, explorer, wildlife researcher and enthusiast.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Narwhals are midsized whales sitting firmly on the toothed side of the whale family, that making them distant relatives to whales such as the sperm whale. However they are part of a unique sub-branch with but one cousin, the beluga, or 'whitefin' whale. They lack any sembalance of a dorsal fin, and their body shape is very conical, in that their heads are flat, bulbous and robust, with no sleek finish to the jaws. Their bodies widen very briefly down from their head, before sharply tapering down to their tails. This structure is odd, for it puts their body shape much more of a rough almost triangle form than most whales. This description naturally lacks elegance, and it is something that needs to be observed more than read.

Their toothed jaws and beak like structure of their mouth within their skull is well designed, especially with their sharp puncturing teeth, for hunting their favored prey, which are all variety of mid depth fish and squid. Their diet mostly consists on halibut, cod, ring squid, char and other fully aquatic animals, however they are not opposed to picking off the occasional sea bird or mammal such as sea otters. They are obligate carnivores by all accounts, and are a social animal, hunting in groups of five to ten. Their 'horn' contrary to the original theories, does not seem to be a weapon for hunting, though it will be used to 'peck' and crack holes in sea ice when necessary to reach the surface to breath. However it is believed this causes great discomfort, as it is understood this 'horn' is in a very technical sense, a tooth.

Genetics and Reproduction

Narwhals are unique in this regard once again, for it does seem to take males longer to sexually mature than females, and not by just a little bit. Male narwhals, it would seem take around a decade to reach sexual maturity, whilst females reach that point in half the time. This is quite a unique thing in the animal kingdom, quite rare, for normally, and especially in mammals that give live birth, it is the females whom take longer. Presumably because the more complex systems involved in maintaining life of the baby (ies) in situ, that is during pregnancy. However in narwhals it seems for reasons not understood, it takes males almost double the time to reach sexual maturity.

Narwhal pregnancy lasts 13 to 14 months, and like most marine mammals observed evidence and field studies do suggest that by and large they will only give birth to one calf. This makes sense when one considers the difficulties of an animal that needs to breath air going into labor underwater and needing to both push out a baby and stay near the surface to breath. As well, the vulnerability the narwhal would experience, evolutionarily speaking keeping that window of vulnerability short would make sense.

Growth Rate & Stages

Calves are born at an average length of 1.6 meters or 5' 2" and with but a thin layer of blubber. This layer will thicken over the next 20 months, the time they are reliant on their mother's milk, which is very high in fat. With the long pregnancy and long weaning times of the babies, this lends one bit of credence to a theory regarding why females of this species sexually mature so much faster than males, a necessary evolution to keep mating populations at healthy levels year after year.

Males reach sexual maturity and adulthood at about ten years of age, females do at about five years of age. Over that time they will grow substantially in size and weight, until reaching sizes of 3.95 to 5.5 meters (or 13 to 18 feet) in length, excluding the tusk. Their weights have an even wider range among adults, with males often being a bit larger. Typically they weigh anywhere from 800 to 1600 kgs (1800-3500 lbs).

Ecology and Habitats

Narwhals live admist the harshest waters of the oceans of Valerick, along the northern and southern most frigid waters, being far more numerous in the northern seas, particularly in the oceans north of the continent of Durol. Hunting in pods they have few natural predators, sitting near the top of their frigid biome except for a few monstrosties of the deep, orca, and the occasional polar bear picking off a juvenile or sub adult through pack ice.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Though the majority of a narwhal's diet will be fish such as Suranthi halibut, Roa Cod and Ring Squid, they will also eat most any other fish they can catch, and have been known on rare occassions to target smaller marine mammals such as sea otters and even very rarely seabirds like turr, puffin or penguins.

Biological Cycle

Narwhals are somewhat migratory, living further out from the coast for the most part during the winters, and moving in closer and into inlets and bays for the warmer short summer months.

Behaviour

Narwhals are a highly social species, living in pods of five to ten most of their lives, and gathering in much larger numbers for the short summer breeding season. Pods have never been observed exhibiting heavily aggressive or hostile behavior towards one and other, and such confrontations that could be percieved as 'territorial' seem to be settled with mere vocalizations and atheletic displays, with no direct physical confrontation becoming necessary.

This is not to say that narwhals cannot exert a physical presence, especially males, the ones whom, for the most part, grow the 'horn' or 'tusk'. Though its primary purpose is not a weapon, and it is a somewhat sensitive sensory organ, it has been observed that some narwhals will use this horn to 'stun' halibut or similar fish, making them easier to grab onto, and will also use this as a defensive tactic if attempting to escape from an orca attack, attempting to whack the orca on the side of the head near one of its eyes in an attempt, presumably, to disorient and stagger the larger creature and swim away swiftly.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Not a lot is yet understood about how hierarchy is established amongst narwhal pods, and what roles certain behaviors, such as the odd horn 'grinding' that males will engage in with each other upon meeting sometimes, plays in establishing or dictating the hierarchy structure.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Narwhals are a valued food source, their high blubber content also making them valuable whaling targets. The meat is calorie dense and energy efficient, and by all accounts is also quite tasty when prepared well, and is a cultural favorite in many northern coastal regions of Suranth. The 'tusk' that most males have is also a highly valued prize as a source of ivory, a valuable luxury trade good used in everything from furniture accent and trim to hilt and handle making.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Like all whales, narwhals have the ability to in a sense, see using sound. Echolocation, a sense not yet fully understood, but a basic understanding has begun to formulate in the scientific sphere. Conceptually it would seem the idea is making sounds of a certain tone or pitch, which reflect off objects and creatures in the immediate vicinity, and somehow instinctually being able to sort of formulate and understand the time and distance of that echo's return, and being able to tell roughly what is around based on that information. Naturally this does not mean such creatures are capable of complex physics, no it seems to be an instinctual understanding, similar to how you can roughly tell by how loud a sound is to your perception how far away the source of it is from you.

Besides this, their 'horn' such as it is, seems to have unique sensory properties not yet fully understood, however it seems to almost be an extension of the narwhal's sense of touch, allowing more detailed information gathering in that forward direction, so much so that it has been observed that narwhals will sweep their heads back and forth when hunting, as if they can feel disruptions and movement in the water close to their tusk. This could however also be for purposes of utilizing their echolocation more effectively, so we know not for certain.

Narwhal Base Stat Sheet

Scientific Name

Cecetea Unicoris Monodon

Lifespan

Not fully known but rough estimates suggest males might live 70-80 years and females perhaps capable of living even longer, closer to 90 years.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Narwhals are generally a mottled grey color with noted spots and transition towards the underbelly to a more whitish tone.