Drone footage has revealed that the narwhal actively wields its long tusk for hunting and play behavior, opening up whole new fields of study over one of the oceans’ most charismatic denizens.

The scientific name of the narwhal (Monodon monoceros) literally translates to “one tooth, one horn,” an incredibly ironic name since the first thing that anyone learns about the narwhal is that what appears to be a horn is actually a tooth, or tusk. At least someone was paying attention, even if someone else wasn’t.

The tusk, which is predominantly found in males and can grow up to 10 feet long, is one of the most fascinating adaptations in nature and the inspiration for myths such as the unicorn. It is believed to play a role in competition for mates, including mating displays.

The tusk may have other uses and its function has long been debated, primarily because few people have observed how these elusive animals use their tusks in the wild.

Limited field observations have long left the creature’s true nature to gut instinct, speculation, and wild fantasy, but researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, in partnership with Inuit communities in Nunavut in Canada’s High Arctic, provide the first evidence of narwhals using their tusks in the wild to investigate, manipulate, and influence the behavior of Arctic char.

These large common and delicious game fish of the northern seas were found to be on the receiving end of the narwhal’s tusk, with the whales delivering sufficient force to stun and possibly kill the fish.

Using drone observations, researchers captured 17 distinct behaviors, which shed light on the dynamics between the narwhal and its prey.

The results of the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, also reveal the first evidence of likely play, specifically exploratory-object play, in narwhals as well as other fascinating insights into narwhal behavior in a changing Arctic.

Aspects of the narwhals’ actions, for example, may also have included social learning, and possibly social instruction and personality differences among individual narwhals. These novel findings further enrich our understanding of narwhals’ complex behavior.

“Narwhals are known for their ‘tusking’ behavior, where two or more of them simultaneously raise their tusks almost vertically out of the water, crossing them in what may be a ritualistic behavior to assess a potential opponent’s qualities or to display those qualities to potential mates,” said Greg O’Corry-Crowe, Ph.D., senior author, a research professor at FAU Harbor Branch and a National Geographic Explorer. “But now we know that narwhal tusks have other uses, some quite unexpected, including foraging, exploration and play.”

The narwhals exhibited remarkable dexterity, precision, and speed of movement with their tusks, and regularly made adjustments to track the moving target—in this case the fish. The tusk, especially the tip of the tusk, was used to interrogate and manipulate target fish.

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“I have been studying narwhal for over a decade and have always marveled at their tusks,” said Cortney Watt, Ph.D., co-author and research scientist and team lead at Fisheries and Oceans, Canada.

“To observe them using their tusks for foraging and play is remarkable. This unique study where we set up a remote field camp and spent time filming narwhal with drones is yielding many interesting insights and is providing a bird’s eye view of their behavior that we have never seen before.”

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“Our observations provide clear evidence of narwhals chasing fish and using their tusks to interact directly with the fish and to influence the fish’s behavior,” said O’Corry-Crowe. “Some of the interactions we saw appeared competitive in nature with one whale blocking or trying to block another whale’s access to the same target fish, while others may have been more subtle, possibly communicative and even affiliative. None appeared overtly aggressive.”

WATCH some of the drone footage below… 

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