Narwhal Studies (Patreon)

I'm so fascinated by the asymmetry of the tusk. They look like a graphical glitch to me. I can't think of any other animals that are like this, except maybe crabs.  

I already gave y'all some fun facts earlier this month, so here are some new ones!  They really solidify my new theory that God made them by mistake!!

The tusk is a male thing, but 15% of females still grow one.

Science isn't really sure what the tusk is for, but since 85% of females don't have them, (and still live longer than the males on average,) it obviously can't be essential for their survival as an individual.  A leading theory for the purpose of the tusk is that they rub them together to communicate, sharing information about water chemistry.  They also use them to tap and stun prey.

Theoretically they can live over 100 years, but they typically live half that.  A frequent cause of death is when they forget to migrate to warmer waters before the surface freezes over, causing them to suffocate under the ice.  ):

In Inuit legend, the first narwhal was a woman who was transformed into one; her hair becoming the tusk.