Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Aggressive tusk use by the narwhal (Monodon monoceros L.)

Abstract

The narwhal, an Arctic odontocete, has two horizontally embedded teeth at birth1. In males and a few females, the left tooth erupts at the end of the first year (K. A. Hay, personal communication) and develops into a spiralled tusk, which can be up to 260 cm long. It has been suggested that the tusk is used to disturb potential benthic prey2; to pierce prey before killing3; to pierce thin ice to make breathing holes4,5; as a defensive weapon4; as a cooling mechanism6, and as a sound transmitter7,8; but it is most probably used in display or fighting9–13. There is no mention in the literature of overt aggressive behaviour between narwhals or of scars on narwhals. We have found many scars on adult male narwhals. These, together with the high incidence of broken tusks in adult males and the burst of tusk growth at sexual maturity indicate that tusks are used in aggressive encounters.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Turner, W. Proc. R. Soc. Edinb. 7, 759–760 (1872).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Freuchen, P. & Salomonsen, F. The Arctic Year (Putnam, New York, 1958).

  3. Scoresby, W. Journal of a Voyage to the Northern Whale Fishery (Archibald, Constable, Edinburgh, 1823).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Tomilin, A. G. Mammals of the U.S.S.R. and Adjacent Countries, 9 Cetacea (Israel Program for Scientific Translations, Jerusalem, 1967).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Scoresby, W. An Account of the Arctic Regions with a History and Description of the Northern Whale Fishery 1 The Arctic (Archibald, Constable, Edinburgh, 1820).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  6. Dow, P. R. & Hollenberg, M. J. Oral Surg. 44, 135–146 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Best, R. C. thesis, Univ. British Columbia, (1972).

  8. Ford, J. K. B. & Fisher, H. D. Can. J. Zool. 56, 552–560 (1978).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Beddard, F. E. The Cambridge Natural History 10 (Macmillan, London, 1920).

  10. Norman, J. R. & Fraser, F. C. Field Book of Giant Fishes, Whales, and Dolphins (Putnam, New York, 1949).

  11. Mansfield, A. W., Smith, T. G. & Beck, B. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 32, 1041–1046 (1975).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Low, A. P. Report on the Dominion Government Expedition to Hudson Bay and the Arctic Islands on Board the D.G.S. Neptune, 1903–1904 (Government Printing Bureau, Ottawa, 1906).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Miller, R. S. Arctic 8, 167–176 (1955).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Buckland, F. Notes and Jottings from Animal Life (Smith, Elder, London, 1882).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Silverman, H. B. thesis, McGill Univ. (1979).

  16. Best, R. C. & Fisher, H. D. Can. J. Zool. 52, 429–431 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Geist, O. W., Buckley, J. L. & Manville, R. H. J. Mammal. 41, 250–253 (1960).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Brown, R. Proc. zool. Soc., Lond. 35, 533–556 (1868).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Porsild, M. P. J. Mammal. 3, 8–13 (1922).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Norris, K. S. UCLA Forum med. Sci. 7, 225–241 (1967).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. McCann, C. Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst. 26, 145–155 (1974).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Yablokov, A. V., Bel'Kovich, V. M. & Borisov, V. I. Whales and Dolphins (Joint Publications Research Service, Arlington, 1974).

  23. Caldwell, D. K. & Caldwell, M. C. The World of the Bottlenosed Dolphin (Lipincott, Philadelphia, New York, 1972).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Silverman, H., Dunbar, M. Aggressive tusk use by the narwhal (Monodon monoceros L.). Nature 284, 57–58 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/284057a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/284057a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing