Apr 18, 2012 · Incredibly, the narwhal’s only visible tooth is outside of its mouth. Its tusk, in fact, is a giant canine tooth—that can grow as long as 9 feet—with a distinct left-hand spiral, covered in a tissue called cementum, normally only found around the base of a tooth lodged in bone.

Oct 14, 2022 · The narwhal’s tusk is actually a tooth with millions of nerve endings inside it. With almost 10 million nerve endings, it is an excellent sensory organ that can gather information about water pressure, temperature, and salinity.

Feb 8, 2022 · Narwhals possess only two teeth, and only one of them can develop into an up to 3m-long tusk (10ft). This overgrown tooth is off-centered and causes the head to grow asymmetrically. In rare cases, both teeth can overgrow, and narwhals develop two tusks.

Mar 18, 2014 · Early in his 14-year career of arduous expedition, Nweeia and colleagues discovered that the narwhal tusk is the structural inverse of a human tooth: It has a rigid rod in the center surrounded by a flexible outer layer that contains porous tubules.

Mar 8, 2019 · Narwhals are, arguably, one of the most enigmatic species of the Arctic Ocean—and rightfully so—they’re pretty incredible. Although few people have ever seen a narwhal, they are widely recognized for their unique tusk which lends itself to the most magical of nicknames: “unicorn of the sea.”

May 4, 2014 · Narwhals detect changes in water salinity using only these tusks, a new study finds. Sometimes called the unicorn of the sea, the male narwhal’s tusk is actually a tooth.

The narwhal is an odontocete or toothed whale, but is different from all other toothed whales in that it has no teeth in its mouth. Instead, male narwhals have a single long, straight tooth (or tusk) that protrudes two to three meters out of the upper left jaw.

Feb 17, 2025 · One of the strangest tusks — the unicorn-horn found on male narwhals — is a massively enlarged left upper canine. In fact, the tooth may have given rise to unicorn legends, says Carolina Loch, an oral biologist at the University of Otago in New Zealand who has studied cetacean teeth.

Aug 25, 2023 · The narwhal tusk is a tooth that develops from the inside of the jaw. It is an expanded spiralized tooth and one of two teeth that the narwhal will ever have. Narwhals are one of a small group of creatures on the planet that have protruding teeth. That select group also includes walruses and elephants.

The narwhal tusk—the unique, spiraled tooth that protrudes out of the upper lip— is a source of debate and discussion. Tales of tusks being used for breaking ice, spearing fish, and digging along the seabed were once considered plausible explanations.