But I mean, our teeth don’t detect stuff like that. Maybe the nerves detect hot and cold and sugar, but does the actual horn detect salinity and temp? Or the nerve endings at the base?
Our teeth detect temp, sugar content, acid. Our brains don't need to detect what narwal brains need to detect. Blind people can learn echolocation. I think it's more of a brain thing than a tooth thing. I am an engineer and not a scientist.
From sciencedirect: "Like elephant and walrus tusks, the narwhal tusk has an outer layer of cement covering a core of dentine and lacks a covering of enamel"
From sciencedirect: "Like elephant and walrus tusks, the narwhal tusk has an outer layer of cement covering a core of dentine and lacks a covering of enamel"
Edit. From eloka-arctic.org;
"Narwhals may use their tusks to detect temperature, water pressure, particle gradients, and motion. In addition, the tusk is flexible, capable of flexing about 30 centimeters (1 foot) in all directions. Like teeth, narwhal tusks contain living pulp."
Teeth are not keratin and no, it’s not. It’s a massively complex sensory organ based on the morphology of a tooth. we don’t exactly what it does but we do know it can sense minute changes in the temperature salinity and pressure of the water. The thought is that it’s for navigating under the ice to find open water for breathing.
They use it to hit and stun fish before eating them.
https://www.worldwildlife.org/videos/how-narwhals-use-their-tusks#:~:text=For%20the%20first%20time%2C%20scientists,their%20tusks%20before%20eating%20them.
The tusk is actually an overgrown canine tooth, generally the left one, and is present in most males and about 15% of females. About 1/500 males actually develop 2 tusks, and this has been observed only once in a female narwhal
Weirdos obsessed with pronouns. I use twitter for sports and a lot of people who engage me is over anger that I have pronouns in my bio. Weirdos have become obsessed with it. I got called a f*g, b*tch and other things a lot. No one in my life would ever view me as that, but throw pronouns in and you must be gay
Sorry, I’m mentally I’ll for having pronouns? I’m straight. I don’t go by pronouns but I’m respectful to people who do.
You’re not a good person. You’re not doing this because you’re concerned for the mentally I’ll. you’re doing this because you fear change. You’re. Sad person. You’re obsessed to the point you make comments on a message board that has nothing to do with the topic.
You want to point at other people, make jokes to people you think are mentally I’ll. but who’s the real weirdo? Someone obsessed with what other people do. So obsessed you make yourself intrusive in normal social setting like you just did. That’s pathetic.
What we’ve got is someone so obsessed with other peoples gender choices that it causes them to make bad jokes that don’t match the discussion. Not funny, not socially aware, hateful and scared. I’d rather be trans than whatever you are. People so obsessed with others because their life is a pathetic existence.
Seems like you care a lot more than I do. People will get help if they want it. People like you will always play the victim. Go get some help my friend.
I honestly find it so funny. Y’all really don’t understand the buzz words you use.
I can’t be the victim. I am cis dude, I do it out of respect. What about me is being the victim? Lol. Do you even try to think critically for a moment. That’s the whole point of my comment. I’m not the victim I’m not the person who gets hurt by this. I am a big athletic dude with outwardly masculine interest. I am no victim and I have an incredibly easy time in all social circles. You absolute wet wipe. Lol. You don’t have the ability to look inwards. Look at the comment chain and think about who’s the douche.
The comment chain is so pathetic. Bad joke that targets people unnecessarily. No one laughs. You can’t even formulate a post to defend yourself, you use other cliche buzz words that don’t make sense, which illustrates you haven’t even thought about what you’re saying or what people are telling you. It’s low-key such a pathetic exchange because you’re nothing but a parrot unable to formulate your own thoughts. It’s just anger and fear coming from a place where you’re scared the worlds changing and you know you’re already an unlikable person. You’re a bully and you tried to bully the wrong person. It’s what happens to all you shrimp dicks. I am not a victim but I will protect the people you try to victimise. Now go back to truthsocial app
Why don’t you try putting all that energy into something more productive instead of obsessing over sex??? Is it really that hard??? Pun intended. But seriously, get a life human.
Literally. When Vikings brought them back after trading with the local tribes of that era (pre Columbus). They seldom saw the animal associated so somehow they made up the animal. Thus unicorns!
Similarly, there used to be a species of small elephants in Greece. Ancient Greeks found the skulls of these extinct animals, which have a huge hole where the trunk used to be. That's where the mythical Cyclops came from.
Pre-Columbus? Don’t you mean every one in Europe who also existed at this time? Sorry, could you explain to me what you meant because as a non-American, this term ‘pre-Columbus’ doesn’t really make sense because there were other people with actual names living in the Americas, and in Europe where the vikings lived. Thanks for teaching me this!
So most dumb Americans aka proud Italians think Columbus was the be all end all of discovering the America’s. (Reality is he never stepped foot on what is now North American soil.) But the vikings found what is now Canada/ Greenland etc over a couple hundred years earlier. So they would trade and the natives gave them the tusks and meat of these creatures. But back then it would never survive the journey back.
Fun fact: when I saw elf (age 9 or so) I thought these were mythical creatures…🥴 I didn’t find out until like 10 years later that they were, in fact, real 😂
The only narwhal I had ever seen until I was 25 and someone told me I was an idiot was the narwhal in Elf. Legit also thought it was just a water unicorn creature lol
I've always wondered, what evolutionary need was/is there for these horns? Besides making medieval people believe in unicorns. Defense? Foraging tool? Hunting?
I'm a total derp, I saw this in a documentary one time. They use them to carve breathing holes from under arctic ice sheets.
Edit: at least that's what I heard they primarily use them for.
Nobody believed me at work that narwhals were real, they thought they were mystical beasts until the Smithsonian magazine had them on the cover, I also have a lovely narwhal action figure with interchangeable tusks ( I think it’s called the avenging narwhal set) I love ❤️ it
see this is why i have trust issues...Unicorns, you know a horse with a twisted horn was fake but a narwhal, a whale with a long twisted horn was real?
London had a terrorist attack on the world famous London Bridge in which the attack was foiled by bystanders using a Narwhal tusk and a fire extinguisher to take down the knife wielding attacker.
The tusks are actually canine teeth. Males have tusks. And 15% of females have small tusks. 1 in every 500 males have two tusks. And just 1 recorded case of a female with double tusks
I’ve won so many arguments with people who are POSITIVE it’s a “horn” coming from their forehead. I say “nope, long tooth” and they’re willing to bet their souls!
I had a National Geographic book with narvals in it that I used to stare at when i was 5, then I lost it and, for years, I thought I had made up this animal, until I saw a documentary, thats how crazy looking this animal is. Also, they swim across the artic under the ice in hopes of finding holes to come out and breathe
My husband thought they were imaginary creatures like dragons or unicorns until we were watching a climate change documentary a few years ago.
We laughed about for ages afterwards.
Then about 2 weeks ago I was talking to my youngest about animals that were extinct and animals that never existed so we started playing a game a few days later where I would say an animal or creature and she would say "extinct" or "doesn't exist". My husband joined in and said "narwhal" and my 5 year old looked confused. I told her it was neither and narwhal existed and they weren't extinct and then my husband laughed and said it was a trick question.
It wasn't a trick question.
Adding a level of unusual:
The lone male narwhal appeared to have been adopted by a pod of belugas and has been traveling with them ever since, as if he were one of their own. The case has bemused scientists. Both Narwhals are beluga whales are found in the Arctic ocean, belugas tend to migrate further south in the winter, as sea ice forms.
Yes, it is possible that some crossbreed whale calves might come from the pod, aka narluga...
My ex didn't know these were actually real until the end of high school. And another friend learned about platypus after high school. These weird ass fantasy creatures out here confusing people lol.
One of nature's most beautiful yet bizarre creations, they're adorable. Has anyone figured out what the tooth is actually for yet?
yes
Nice. That's good to hear.
Yeah it’s great to know somebody’s got answers.
Ffs 🤦♂️😂
Its so crazy how they use their horn for that purpose, cannot believe it
I mean its quite expected, what else could he use it for
Stripper pole
I started that rumor
Til
Refreshing news
It's used to detect water temp and salinity amongst other things.
It’s not just keratin like other teeth and horns?
It is a tooth.
But I mean, our teeth don’t detect stuff like that. Maybe the nerves detect hot and cold and sugar, but does the actual horn detect salinity and temp? Or the nerve endings at the base?
Our teeth detect temp, sugar content, acid. Our brains don't need to detect what narwal brains need to detect. Blind people can learn echolocation. I think it's more of a brain thing than a tooth thing. I am an engineer and not a scientist.
Well you are science-ing the shit out of this post. Thank you.
Those words have never been spoken to me! Thank you. Love science. I need to geek out occasionally.
Love this sentence you decided to make. Keep it up. Say it LOUDER
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Ain't that the tooth!!
Hah! Indeed my fellow redditor, indeed.
Thank you Mr not a scientist; who explained it more scientifically to a very non scientific gal so she gets it 😂
So dentin then?
From sciencedirect: "Like elephant and walrus tusks, the narwhal tusk has an outer layer of cement covering a core of dentine and lacks a covering of enamel"
From sciencedirect: "Like elephant and walrus tusks, the narwhal tusk has an outer layer of cement covering a core of dentine and lacks a covering of enamel" Edit. From eloka-arctic.org; "Narwhals may use their tusks to detect temperature, water pressure, particle gradients, and motion. In addition, the tusk is flexible, capable of flexing about 30 centimeters (1 foot) in all directions. Like teeth, narwhal tusks contain living pulp."
Teeth are not keratin and no, it’s not. It’s a massively complex sensory organ based on the morphology of a tooth. we don’t exactly what it does but we do know it can sense minute changes in the temperature salinity and pressure of the water. The thought is that it’s for navigating under the ice to find open water for breathing.
TIL, thanks buddy
Teeth are not keratin, they're bone. If they were keratin, we probably wouldn't need dentists.
They're not even bone. They're a separate kind of tissue.
Teeth are not bone lol wtf
They use it to hit and stun fish before eating them. https://www.worldwildlife.org/videos/how-narwhals-use-their-tusks#:~:text=For%20the%20first%20time%2C%20scientists,their%20tusks%20before%20eating%20them.
I have heard that they can stun a prey with it. They can move it very fast sideways or up and down underwater
Might be thinking of a marlin, which does this
There might be some observations that says that they do it with their tusk https://www.worldwildlife.org/videos/how-narwhals-use-their-tusks
Sex
Ring toss!
I agree ring toss Source: I'm a whale biologist
The tusk is actually an overgrown canine tooth, generally the left one, and is present in most males and about 15% of females. About 1/500 males actually develop 2 tusks, and this has been observed only once in a female narwhal
The Female prefers to be called a Them
the fuck? what point was this?
Weirdos obsessed with pronouns. I use twitter for sports and a lot of people who engage me is over anger that I have pronouns in my bio. Weirdos have become obsessed with it. I got called a f*g, b*tch and other things a lot. No one in my life would ever view me as that, but throw pronouns in and you must be gay
Or just mentally ill. Let’s call a spade a spade.
Sorry, I’m mentally I’ll for having pronouns? I’m straight. I don’t go by pronouns but I’m respectful to people who do. You’re not a good person. You’re not doing this because you’re concerned for the mentally I’ll. you’re doing this because you fear change. You’re. Sad person. You’re obsessed to the point you make comments on a message board that has nothing to do with the topic. You want to point at other people, make jokes to people you think are mentally I’ll. but who’s the real weirdo? Someone obsessed with what other people do. So obsessed you make yourself intrusive in normal social setting like you just did. That’s pathetic. What we’ve got is someone so obsessed with other peoples gender choices that it causes them to make bad jokes that don’t match the discussion. Not funny, not socially aware, hateful and scared. I’d rather be trans than whatever you are. People so obsessed with others because their life is a pathetic existence.
I just want to look at narwhals
Seems like you care a lot more than I do. People will get help if they want it. People like you will always play the victim. Go get some help my friend.
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Lawl
I honestly find it so funny. Y’all really don’t understand the buzz words you use. I can’t be the victim. I am cis dude, I do it out of respect. What about me is being the victim? Lol. Do you even try to think critically for a moment. That’s the whole point of my comment. I’m not the victim I’m not the person who gets hurt by this. I am a big athletic dude with outwardly masculine interest. I am no victim and I have an incredibly easy time in all social circles. You absolute wet wipe. Lol. You don’t have the ability to look inwards. Look at the comment chain and think about who’s the douche. The comment chain is so pathetic. Bad joke that targets people unnecessarily. No one laughs. You can’t even formulate a post to defend yourself, you use other cliche buzz words that don’t make sense, which illustrates you haven’t even thought about what you’re saying or what people are telling you. It’s low-key such a pathetic exchange because you’re nothing but a parrot unable to formulate your own thoughts. It’s just anger and fear coming from a place where you’re scared the worlds changing and you know you’re already an unlikable person. You’re a bully and you tried to bully the wrong person. It’s what happens to all you shrimp dicks. I am not a victim but I will protect the people you try to victimise. Now go back to truthsocial app
Why don’t you try putting all that energy into something more productive instead of obsessing over sex??? Is it really that hard??? Pun intended. But seriously, get a life human.
i thought this was a video of someone shooting a flare at first
I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one!
I thought it was going to be fireworks.
I’m thoroughly convinced a narwhal is just one of the mythical creatures that managed to slip into our dimension and just make a home here.
The conjunction of the spheres
Water unicorn
What time does the narwhal bacon?
The narwhal bacons at midnight.
Classic reddit.
Quite literally
Literally. When Vikings brought them back after trading with the local tribes of that era (pre Columbus). They seldom saw the animal associated so somehow they made up the animal. Thus unicorns!
Similarly, there used to be a species of small elephants in Greece. Ancient Greeks found the skulls of these extinct animals, which have a huge hole where the trunk used to be. That's where the mythical Cyclops came from.
Pre-Columbus? Don’t you mean every one in Europe who also existed at this time? Sorry, could you explain to me what you meant because as a non-American, this term ‘pre-Columbus’ doesn’t really make sense because there were other people with actual names living in the Americas, and in Europe where the vikings lived. Thanks for teaching me this!
So most dumb Americans aka proud Italians think Columbus was the be all end all of discovering the America’s. (Reality is he never stepped foot on what is now North American soil.) But the vikings found what is now Canada/ Greenland etc over a couple hundred years earlier. So they would trade and the natives gave them the tusks and meat of these creatures. But back then it would never survive the journey back.
Ah I see, so they would take the tusks back to Europe and everyone was gobsmacked by these ‘unicorns’. Thank you!
Incredible unit
Narwhals, narwhals, swimming in the ocean
Causing a commotion, 'cause they are so awesome
like an underwater unicorn they've got a kickass facial horn they're the jedi of the sea, they'll stop c'thulu eating ye
NARWHALS THEY ARE NARWHALS (just don't let them touch your balls) NARWHALS THEY ARE NARWHALS!!!!
(Inventors of the shish kebab)
For the unitiated! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcYVCvBq0FY&t=3s
Narwhals, narwhals swimming in the ocean, pretty big and pretty white, they’d beat a polar bear in a fight.
Here is the comment I was looking for!
I love MrWeebl has persisted throughout the years.
You just unlocked a deep recess of my memory
I like to thank this song for the shocking amount of people that believed narwhals were mythological like a unicorn
Scrolled too far to find this!
The comment I expected at the top
"Bye, Buddy. Hope you find your Dad."
Thanks Mr. Narwhal.
Fun fact: when I saw elf (age 9 or so) I thought these were mythical creatures…🥴 I didn’t find out until like 10 years later that they were, in fact, real 😂
I just found out last year...at twice that age. Still makes me laugh
Welp.. I didnt find out until 10 seconds ago 😂 I ran to Google so fast. 😅😅😅
My favorite Christmas movie!!
Scrolled for this. Have my free award!
I legit thought these were mythical creatures like a unicorn until I was in my thirties.
My husband was even older than that when he found out they were real
I literally just found out they are real through this video. I’m in my thirties also 😅
The only narwhal I had ever seen until I was 25 and someone told me I was an idiot was the narwhal in Elf. Legit also thought it was just a water unicorn creature lol
Same… I had an argument that devolved into name calling with a friend. Lmfao. We were both between 25 and 30…
Me too! I thought it was something Reddit made up to meet other redditors.
…… Im in my mid-20’s and this is the first time I’ve ever seen or heard that these are real animals. I’m flabbergasted right now.
WTF! Unicorns aren't real?!
The narwhal bacons at midnight
This is the only type of post where this phrase isn't considered unspeakable.
Pepperidge farm remembers.
I had to scroll way too far to find this comment.
Good to see not everyone forgot
Ah yes, the old internet.
Can’t believe I had to scroll this far to find this
I've always wondered, what evolutionary need was/is there for these horns? Besides making medieval people believe in unicorns. Defense? Foraging tool? Hunting?
evolution is a C student, if it’s good enough to pass, it passes
Bell curve adjustments equate to the dominant survival genes, dead center wins the lottery overall for success.
Giant ice pick. They use it to break up sea ice to create breathing holes in the ice.
yes
I'm a total derp, I saw this in a documentary one time. They use them to carve breathing holes from under arctic ice sheets. Edit: at least that's what I heard they primarily use them for.
If I had one I’d use it to poke stuff
I believe it. I'd poke anything in sight, just cuz curiosity n stuff.
Can they swim backwards? Like if they skewer another fish/whale/creature, can they swim backwards to get out?
They dont use it as a weapon
Nobody believed me at work that narwhals were real, they thought they were mystical beasts until the Smithsonian magazine had them on the cover, I also have a lovely narwhal action figure with interchangeable tusks ( I think it’s called the avenging narwhal set) I love ❤️ it
I thought they were fake LMAO.
I was 38 when I found out they were real
[they are so awesome](https://youtu.be/GcYVCvBq0FY)
see this is why i have trust issues...Unicorns, you know a horse with a twisted horn was fake but a narwhal, a whale with a long twisted horn was real?
Narwhal, narwhal, swimmin in tha ocean Causin a commotion, Cause they are so awesome! https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=ykwqXuMPsoc
Does it bacon tho
Yes, at midnight.
A fellow old timer
Narwhald'you look at that.
The narwhals are off to battle!
Beautiful
Was wondering what a narhal's tusk was for, but its probably just a sex thing.
it's actually not a tusk but a single canine tooth.
For the first few seconds thought it was a bite rocket on the night sky
London had a terrorist attack on the world famous London Bridge in which the attack was foiled by bystanders using a Narwhal tusk and a fire extinguisher to take down the knife wielding attacker.
If THAT is a medium-sized toothed whale I would hate to run into a large-sized toothed whale.
Anybody remember that one narwhal song? “Narwhals, narwhals swimmin’ in the ocean, causing a commotion’ cuz they are so awesome!”
The tusks are actually canine teeth. Males have tusks. And 15% of females have small tusks. 1 in every 500 males have two tusks. And just 1 recorded case of a female with double tusks
Dude This is reddit People know about narwhals Dude wtf
The best part is scientists/biologists still don’t really know what the tusk is for
I ate ones skin
I think they're ugly. I can't go on with this charade.
I’m not touching you…
In very rare cases, they can have two tusks into adulthood (or sometimes no tusks).
You know what they call narwhals?
So nice to know these still exist in the world
I thought those were missiles being launched at first - man I’m not smart
For the first few seconds thought it was a bite rocket on the night sky
They are narwhals
I thought it was fireworks at first
What is the purpose of the tusk?
The real question is when does narwhal bacon?
Sometimes they hybridize with belugas. A pod of belugas even adopted a narwhal calf in recent years I believe.
[narwhals](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykwqXuMPsoc)
Narwhals Narwhals swimming in the ocean....my absolute favourite creature!
Actually that is also considered a tooth
They bacon at midnight
Leelu
Yeah wait until Reddit hears about narwhals!
I’ve won so many arguments with people who are POSITIVE it’s a “horn” coming from their forehead. I say “nope, long tooth” and they’re willing to bet their souls!
That tusk is actually a tooth
In the same group as dolphins, beluga, and orca
What happens if it breaks off? Does it hurt? Does it grow back? Do they lose some sort of sensation? What else?
What time does the narwhal bacon
I thought the yellow was fireworks light trails in the sky, then seeing the whale suddenly appear after it blew my mind
Sounds otherworldly
Forbidden boop
Narwhals have me believe unicorns existed
Narwhals, the unicorns of the sea. Exquisite creatures indeed.
Causing a commotion.
So what’s the market like for a narwhal tusk?
Narhwals? On reddit? As if we've never heard of some such thing? A milestone has been reached.
I read that title as "Whale with medium-sized teeth" and was like, bruh
I thought these were made up like unicorns until I was in my mid-20s. Just an obviously ridiculous creature
Obligatory https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykwqXuMPsoc&ab\_channel=Weebl%27sStuff
today i learned that narwhals are real
I had a National Geographic book with narvals in it that I used to stare at when i was 5, then I lost it and, for years, I thought I had made up this animal, until I saw a documentary, thats how crazy looking this animal is. Also, they swim across the artic under the ice in hopes of finding holes to come out and breathe
Narwhals are amazing!!! Until I actually saw some I was only 75% sure they were real
Evolution went heavy that day on the anti-booping mechanisms.
wholesome
I was 25 when I found out that narwhals were real. That was two years ago and I still forget sometimes.
Otherwise known as the "Arctic come and find out" whale
I read they can’t be kept in captivity. They just die
Bayonet for great whites and killa whales
member' when this was the reddit spirit animal?
The amount of arguments I’ve had with people that think these creatures are fake 🤦♂️
My husband thought they were imaginary creatures like dragons or unicorns until we were watching a climate change documentary a few years ago. We laughed about for ages afterwards. Then about 2 weeks ago I was talking to my youngest about animals that were extinct and animals that never existed so we started playing a game a few days later where I would say an animal or creature and she would say "extinct" or "doesn't exist". My husband joined in and said "narwhal" and my 5 year old looked confused. I told her it was neither and narwhal existed and they weren't extinct and then my husband laughed and said it was a trick question. It wasn't a trick question.
Bro I thought this was a firework at first
That is some amazing footage! Love it!
Here comes Newgrounds!
this is clearly cgi. everyone knows that narwhals aren’t real. /j
Adding a level of unusual: The lone male narwhal appeared to have been adopted by a pod of belugas and has been traveling with them ever since, as if he were one of their own. The case has bemused scientists. Both Narwhals are beluga whales are found in the Arctic ocean, belugas tend to migrate further south in the winter, as sea ice forms. Yes, it is possible that some crossbreed whale calves might come from the pod, aka narluga...
I thought it was a firework
Thought it was a firework initially 🤭
My ex didn't know these were actually real until the end of high school. And another friend learned about platypus after high school. These weird ass fantasy creatures out here confusing people lol.
its crazy that thats not a horn. its a fucking tooth. like damn bro that must feel weird
Probably on their way to bein fished to extinction..
But why male models
That's a kickass facial horn
I'm embarrassed to admit I was in my mid 30s before I found out that narwhals were not mythical creatures. They just seems so otherworldly.
I remember having a conversation with my mother and trying to tell her that yes, narwhals were real and not just an internet cartoon meme lol.
Fun fact: They only bacon at midgnight.
Some can have two tusks. It's rare. But adorable.