Narwhals are like toothless whales because they don’t have teeth for chewing! Instead, they have surprisingly small mouths that they use to create a vacuum to suck in and swallow squid, shrimp, and fish whole! 🦑

Their tusk is actually a long tooth that grows through their upper lip! This tooth keeps growing their whole life and can reach up to 10 feet long! Narwals actually have two tusk teeth, but only one grows. 🦷

Their tusk grows in a smooth, counterclockwise spiral! Scientists still don’t fully know why. 🦄

Their tusk is very sensitive! It has up to 10 million nerves that connect directly to the narwhal’s brain! This helps them sense small changes in water temperature and pressure and helps them find their way. 🌡️

They like to stay in one place. Even though they travel up to 2,000 miles each year, they stay in cold Arctic waters the whole time. ❄️

They dive deeper than most whales! Narwhals can dive as deep as 5,000 feet to find food and can hold their breath for up to 25 minutes! 🐳

Male narwhals sometimes use their tusks in "friendly duels.” It may look like sword fighting, but it’s often gentle and helps them communicate and show strength. Females usually don’t have tusks, but if they do, they’re shorter. ⚔️

They use sound to navigate and hunt! Narwhals make clicking noises for echolocation and to confuse their prey. This helps them hunt in dark Arctic waters. ⚔️

They can live in almost completely frozen water! They use small holes in the ice (called leads) to come up for air. 🧊

Narwhals follow the exact same travel routes every year and return to the same feeding areas. They learn these paths from older narwhals, but scientists worry that this also makes them more at risk if their environment changes. 🗺️