Narwhals
Introduction
Narwhals, the unicorns of the sea, are very mysterious creatures that are not widely known. They are whales with many fascinating features and historical value. This research paper is answering the question, “What are Narwhals?”.
General Description
Monodon Monoceros, Latin for “one tooth, one horn”#; or Narhval, Norwegian for “corpse whale” , because of it mottled coloration suggests a bloated corpse#.Narwhals are in the white whale family, along with the beluga, but are actually covered with spots of black, white, gray-green, and cream. Newborns are dappled gray-brown, white spots come with age#. At birth the calves are about 5 feet long and 180 pounds. Male Narwhals can reach 16 feet long, not including the horn which is 8 to 9 feet long, and weigh around 3000 pounds. Females are around 13 ft. long, do not have tusks, and weight around 2000 pounds. Adult males and females are usually dark in the area of the head, especially top of the head and upper and lower jaws#. Unlike most other whales, Narwhals have no dorsal fin, instead they have a low bumpy ridge that begins at about the midpoint of the back and continues to the fluke#.
Tusks
The tusks, giving Narwhals the name “ Sea Unicorn”, is actually a tooth that can reach up to nine feet long and can weigh up to 20 pounds. Males and females are born with two teeth pointing forward in the upper jaw#. The left tooth of the male grows long and spirals counter clockwise toward the tip. On rare occasions there have been Narwhals with twin tusks. Research on Narwhals supports the idea that the tusk is both a weapon and a symbol of dominance in ritual displays#. Some other ideas about what the tusk is used for include the following: ice breaker or and instrument to poke breathing holes in ice#; rake to stir up the sea bottom for food#; skewer to impale prey species#. One hundred out of three hundred and four males tusks are broken, this might be a result of fighting#. Narwhal tusk can heal itself. Newman, a whale expert, suggests,“If the tusk breaks, it is possible that infection is avoided because of dentine deposits which fill the broken end. This reparative function could explain descriptions by old whalers of Narwhals with broken tusks exhibiting a ‘plug’ in the broken end”# .Tusks sold for $1.25 a pound in 1962, in 1974 it went up to $25 a pound, and in 1976 it was $35#.
The first whale to ever be captured was Moby Doll. The capture of Moby Doll was an accident; the purpose of getting this whale was so a sculptor named Samuel Burich could make a life size model for the British Columbia Hall Aquarium. Moby Doll was shot numerous times, but would not die. Since the whale would not die they decided to keep the whale and put it on display. There was little information on how to take care of the whale. Moby Doll did not eat for fifty-five days while being held captive. They were giving the whale the wrong food and when they finally figured it out the whale killed itself a month later. “Stories of Killer Captive Whales”.
The North American Whitetail is typically 3 1/2 to 4 feet tall at the shoulder, and can range from 100 to 220 pounds. The size of the deer depends on the area you find the deer and how much food there is in that area. The males (or bucks) typically have antlers that they shed seasonally. The females (or does) usually do not have antlers, but can on rare occasions. There are some very definite qualities that make it easy to distinguish the white tail from one of its close relatives, like the mule deer. The whitetail is a reddish brown color in the summer and a grayish brown color in the winter. If you ever see a whitetail in the wild, you will quickly see how they got ...
The reason as to why their fins become this way is because they simply do not have enough space to be able to swim around and the diet they are fed is an unhealthy one.... ... middle of paper ... ... Works Cited "8 Reasons Orcas Don't Belong at SeaWorld" SeaWorld Of Hurt: Where Happiness Tanks. N.p., n.d. Web.
This image is what a majority of people believe to be the shark. They believe it to be the bloodthirsty sea monster that appears in countless works of literature and films, but science says otherwise. The classic picture painted by the minds of sailors returning from years at sea come from imagination and sharks’ violent methods of hunting and mating. Sharks fear humans as much as humans fear sharks, and most sharks, particularly the “man-eating” great whites, only bite humans because they mistake surfers for seals. In earlier times, the ocean was a source of mystery and adventur...
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Orcas, or killer whales are majestic giants of the sea. They are actually the largest type of dolphin. They have long black bodies with distinct white patches near their eyes. A killer whale can be up to 32 feet or more in length, and weigh up to 12,000 pounds. Females are a bit smaller, but live longer (Gorman). The name “killer whale” apparently came not because it is a vicious whale, but because it preys on whales. They do not have any natural predators, and they are considered the “top dog” of the ocean. Not even the great white shark stands a chance against these superb killers. “Unlike sharks, killer whales are cautious hunters, sometimes spending hours harassing a 1,000-pound sea lion so it can easily be drowned” (Francis). Orcas use many hunting tactics that are unique to their species, which is what makes them invincible.
Shirihai, H. and B. Jarrett (2006). Whales, Dolphins and Other Marine Mammals of the World. Princeton, Princeton University Press. p.185-188.
The Makah’s seemingly domestic issue of whaling has and is taking on a larger international problem. The United States plays a large part in policing the hunting of whales, one of the most recent examples being the U.S.’s ...
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The origin of modern day whales, a mystery that has puzzled paleontologists for years, may have just been solved with the discovery of an ankle bone. This discovery might sound simple and unimportant, but the bones of these ancient animals hold many unanswered questions and provide solid proof of origin and behavior. The relationship between whales and other animals has proven to be difficult because whales are warm-blooded, like humans, yet they live in the sea. The fact that they are warm-blooded suggests that they are related to some type of land animal. However, the questions of exactly which animal, and how whales evolved from land to water, have remained unanswered until now.
After watching several documentaries on how poorly killer whales are treated in captivity, it drew me into researching more information on the treatment of Killer whales that are kept in captivity. I found several scientific journals, and articles on wild life facts of killer whales and I found published books on the treatment of killer whales in captivity. The information I found includes both wild killer whales and killer whales kept in captivity. With the information I found, I plan to prove the shortened lifespan and health problems killer whales get while living in captivity are not normal. In fact the information you learned about killer whales from aquariums and commercial parks are false. This paper will argue why killer whales should not be held captive in commercial parks. This Paper will include information on the killer whale’s diet, the killer whale’s communication, and the killer whale’s physical traits.
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