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An orphaned narwhal left his changing habitat and made new friends.
The narwhal probably left his home in the Arctic, 620 miles to the north, and swam to the St. Lawrence River in eastern Canada. Scientists at the Marine Mammal Research and Education Group (GREMM) believe he has spent 10 years with three male beluga whales.
Narwhals, sometimes called unicorns of the sea, are usually found in Arctic waters and spend their winters swimming under sea ice, according to the World Wildlife Foundation. They can weigh up to 4,200 pounds and can measure about 17 feet long. Their 10-foot-long defense is actually a dent. Defense has up to 10 million nerve endings.
There are approximately 80,000 narwhals in the world, but they are threatened by, among other things, climate change, oil and gas development. For example, they are vulnerable to an increase in the number of navigation vessels in their habitat, for example – ships interfere with their communications and may also be in conflict with them.
"Due to the climate change observed in the Arctic, it is possible that these two related species (Belugas and narwhals belong to the same family: monodontidae) are more and more frequently found in the coming decades." GREMM researchers wrote in a statement on their website: "We are already seeing this phenomenon in other species such as the polar bear and the grizzly, which have even been observed to cross each other."
A 1993 study claimed to have located a potential hybrid of belugas and narwhals, but this has never been confirmed by DNA testing. Belugas and narwhals, although closely related, are in fact very different. Narwhals tend to dive and are comfortable in areas covered with heavy ice. Belugas tend to spend their time in shallower, less icy coastal waters. They eat fish, like salmon, which swim near the surface. However, the narwhal appears to interact normally with whales because its interactions are exactly the same as those of beluga whales. It seems that he is fully accepted in the group of young men.
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"He behaves like he's one of the boys," said GREMM President and Scientific Director Robert Michaud at CBC. "They are in constant contact with each other – it's like a big social balloon of young people playing social games."
Whales have moved away from their natural habitat in the past and may end up looking for companions. GREMM scientists have seen young whales try to travel to New Jersey or Nova Scotia, but sometimes hurt themselves by trying to become friends with boats or humans and end up being killed by propellers.
"This little narwhal who made a similar trip was very lucky," Michaud said. "Because he found almost normal mates."
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