Mammal · toothed whale

Narwhal

Monodon monoceros

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic Found in 2 oceans

Depth

Often 500 to 800 m, frequent dives beyond 1,500 m in winter

Size

About 4 to 5 m, tusk up to 3 m

Diet

Greenland halibut, Gonatus squid, polar cod, shrimp

Zone

Sunlit zone · 0 – 200 m

Key facts

• The tusk is a tooth that grows mostly in males, starting at 2 or 3 years of age.
• In winter, under the pack ice of Baffin Bay, it often dives deeper than 1,500 m to hunt near the bottom.
• It eats mostly in winter. In summer, its stomach is usually empty.
• It sucks in its prey near the bottom instead of biting it.

Verified sources

1. NOAA Fisheries : Narwhal
2. Laidre & Heide-Jørgensen 2005, Winter feeding intensity of narwhals
3. Laidre et al. 2003, MEPS 261 : 269-281
4. WWF Canada : Ten facts about narwhals

In the game: To observe

In the same zone

BelugaDelphinapterus leucas Hooded sealCystophora cristata Polar codBoreogadus saida Sea angelClione limacina Antarctic krillEuphausia superba Weddell sealLeptonychotes weddellii