Narwhal Whale
Narwhals are covered with grey-green patches of skin, which is darker on top than on their undersides. A male has a single, twisted horn on his forehead. This horn, called a tusk, may grow up to 10 feet (three meters) long. The tusk is an elongated tooth that grows through the upper lip. The narwhal's head is rounded, and its flippers are small and rounded. Unlike other dolphins, the narwhal does not have a dorsal (back) fin. Like all whales, narwhals have blowholes on the tops of their heads. These mammals breathe through their blowholes. They have to go to the surface of the water to breathe. Each narwhal has just one blowhole. These sea mammals average 13 to 16 feet (four to five meters) in length and can weigh up to 3,500 pounds (1,575kilograms).
Narwhals live in the Arctic sea. They live in groups called pods. These pods can have up to 2,000 members. Narwhals not living in a family pod often separate by age group and sex. Narwhals have a layer of fatty tissue, called blubber, located right under their skin. This fat is used to keep the animals warm in colder waters and acts as a reserve food.
Narwhals feed on fish, cuttlefish, shrimp, crabs, and squid. Since they have only two teeth, they are unable to chew food, so they must swallow their prey whole. Narwhals may use echolocation to help them find their food. Echolocation is like the radar used to track airplanes. Narwhals send out very high-pitched special sounds from their noses. Human beings cannot hear these sounds. Beluga whales have air sacs in their heads that direct the sounds to certain places in the water. The sounds then travel through the water, bounce off objects, and travel back to the whales. Narwhals can tell how far away their prey is by the amount of time it takes for the sounds to come back to them. This process shows the whales exactly where to swim to catch their prey. Narwhals can tell the difference between sounds that have bounced off of rocks and fish.
Mating among narwhals takes place from March to May. The gestation period (duration of pregnancy) is 14 to 15 months. The female then gives birth to a single calf. The calf is born tail-first. The mother helps the calf by pushing it with her nose up to the surface of the water for air. A newborn calf measures about five feet (1 1/2 meters) in length, and weighs about 175 pounds (80 meters). At birth, the calf has dark grayish-blue skin. The mother nurses the calf until it is ready to eat fish.
Killer whales prey on narwhals. Arctic people kill narwhals by harpoon, or by net, and use the animals' meat, blubber, hide, and tusks.
The life span of the narwhal is about 30 or 40 years.
Source: Encyclopedia of Animals
Narwhals live in the Arctic sea. They live in groups called pods. These pods can have up to 2,000 members. Narwhals not living in a family pod often separate by age group and sex. Narwhals have a layer of fatty tissue, called blubber, located right under their skin. This fat is used to keep the animals warm in colder waters and acts as a reserve food.
Narwhals feed on fish, cuttlefish, shrimp, crabs, and squid. Since they have only two teeth, they are unable to chew food, so they must swallow their prey whole. Narwhals may use echolocation to help them find their food. Echolocation is like the radar used to track airplanes. Narwhals send out very high-pitched special sounds from their noses. Human beings cannot hear these sounds. Beluga whales have air sacs in their heads that direct the sounds to certain places in the water. The sounds then travel through the water, bounce off objects, and travel back to the whales. Narwhals can tell how far away their prey is by the amount of time it takes for the sounds to come back to them. This process shows the whales exactly where to swim to catch their prey. Narwhals can tell the difference between sounds that have bounced off of rocks and fish.
Mating among narwhals takes place from March to May. The gestation period (duration of pregnancy) is 14 to 15 months. The female then gives birth to a single calf. The calf is born tail-first. The mother helps the calf by pushing it with her nose up to the surface of the water for air. A newborn calf measures about five feet (1 1/2 meters) in length, and weighs about 175 pounds (80 meters). At birth, the calf has dark grayish-blue skin. The mother nurses the calf until it is ready to eat fish.
Killer whales prey on narwhals. Arctic people kill narwhals by harpoon, or by net, and use the animals' meat, blubber, hide, and tusks.
The life span of the narwhal is about 30 or 40 years.
Source: Encyclopedia of Animals
posted by James at 1:08 PM
1 Comments:
Hmm...very interesting.
Post a Comment
<< Home