A whale without a dorsal fin that lives in Arctic seas. Males commonly develop a long tusk from a tooth.
Usually the left upper tooth grows forward in males. Females with tusks and males without them have also been recorded.
A narwhal’s tusk is a tooth that usually grows large in males. These Arctic whales suck in fish and squid and use cracks or holes in sea ice as they move seasonally between habitats.
A study reported in 2025 used drones in Arctic Canada to film narwhals touching and chasing Arctic char with their tusks. Whales adjusted the tusk to follow a moving fish, and sometimes blocked another whale’s access.
Researchers interpreted some actions as exploration or likely play. Gulls also attempted to take fish. Climate change, sea-ice loss and hunting are threats to narwhals.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Climate change, sea-ice loss and hunting are threats. Narwhals can also die when trapped by ice.