Unicorn from arctic waters 6 letters crossword puzzle. Independent socio-political portal. Facts about narwhal

One of the 12 species of cetaceans listed in the Red Book of Kamchatka is a small polar whale with a rather extravagant appearance, called the narwhal or unicorn.

It is widely distributed in the waters of the Arctic Ocean along the Arctic coast of Europe, Asia and America, but in winter it sometimes goes beyond the Arctic, penetrating far enough to the south. For example, in the Bering Sea, single finds of this whale in the 19th-20th centuries were noted in the Karaginsky Bay and off the coast of about. Bering.
Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the external structure of the narwhal is the incredibly long, protruding forward and similar to the horn of an outlandish animal, the tooth of its males. It was he who gave this whale a scientific Latin name, which can be translated into Russian literally as "one tooth, one horn." In Europe, the narwhal has been known since the 17th century as the "sea unicorn" and has been the subject of a number of myths and tales. Mistaken for the horn of the legendary unicorn, the tooth of the narwhal was greatly valued as a powerful antidote and remedy for many infirmities and diseases. It was believed that if you throw a piece of it into a glass of poisoned wine, it will change its color.
These small polar whales, whose adult sizes do not exceed 6 m and weigh 1.5 tons, are characterized by an elongated body and a round head with an asymmetrical skull. Narwhals do not have a dorsal fin, and instead of it, a longitudinal and narrow fold of skin is barely noticeable. Body color changes with age. Being bluish-gray in newborn cubs, it first becomes almost black, then gradually brightens again as it matures. In adult whales, the dorsal side and sides are dark with numerous brown spots, the ventral side is light. Both male and female narwhals are born with only two small teeth protruding from the upper jaw. However, in the future, the left tooth of the male grows through the lip and sticks forward like the bowsprit of a sailing ship. It is spirally twisted counterclockwise towards the end and can reach 3 m in length, 10 cm in diameter and weigh up to 8-10 kg. In rare cases, there are narwhals with two such teeth. Unfortunately, in the past, such jewelry often did its owner a disservice. The large, perfectly pointed tooth of the narwhal was an enviable trophy and sold for $800-$1,000 until the mid-1980s. However, then, under pressure from environmentalists, the import of the teeth of these whales was banned in many countries, and their prices fell sharply.
Narwhals are permanent inhabitants of the polar seas, which usually keep in small groups. According to available data, in the relatively recent past, these whales formed huge concentrations of several thousand heads in a number of areas of the Arctic. However, by the beginning of the 21st century, their numbers had noticeably decreased, and therefore today there are mainly small groups of narwhals. Currently, there are three main herds of these cetaceans in the Arctic Ocean, the largest of which is confined to the waters of Greenland and the Canadian sector of the Arctic adjacent to it. Off the coast of Russia, narwhals only occasionally appear in the Chukchi Sea, as well as in the area of ​​Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land. Living near the edge of the ice edge, they migrate to open waters with advancing ice as winter approaches and return to shore to fatten in the summer months. Narwhals live in the waters among the ice, without fear of suffocation when the polynyas freeze. Their males break the ice, inflicting sharp blows from below with their huge and powerful teeth. All members of the herd breathe through the punched holes. Probably due to constant use for this purpose, one out of every three adult males has a tooth broken off at some distance. However, there is a hypothesis according to which a narwhal tooth covered with sensitive endings is needed by an animal in order to measure water temperature, pressure and other parameters of the aquatic environment that are equally important for life.
The main food of narwhals, which can hunt at a depth of more than a kilometer, are various fish (mainly arctic cod and black halibut), squid and shrimp. Studies carried out at the end of the last century showed that narwhals, like many other whales, make a whole range of different sounds: some of them serve as a means of communication between animals in the herd, others as echoes for navigation and searching for food or other narwhals. The reproduction of these polar whales has been studied rather poorly. Scientists believe that mating and childbearing occur throughout the year, since newborns and embryos of various sizes can be found in different seasons. The huge tooth of male narwhals is not only a weapon, but also a symbol of their dominance in ritual demonstrations during the breeding season. Sexually mature female narwhals usually give birth to just one cub every two to three years after a nearly 15-month gestation period. The dimensions of a newly born whale are about 1.5 m and 50-55 kg.
Today, the narwhal is included in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and various Red Books, therefore it is protected by the legislation of all countries of the Arctic basin. For illegal hunting of this polar whale in our country, a fine of 83.5 thousand rubles is provided. Existing laws limit hunting for it even for the local population. For example, the native inhabitants of Greenland, the Canadian Eskimos, who for many centuries have traditionally eaten meat and the skin of narwhal very rich in vitamin C with a subcutaneous layer of fat, in the last decades of the 20th century were allocated a production limit of no more than 500 animals annually. In addition, the customs of this people allow hunting unicorns of the Arctic seas only on a sea canoe-kayak using a harpoon, forbidding the use of outboard motors and other achievements of progress when hunting whales.
Although narwhals have few enemies in nature (only killer whales, polar sharks, and polar bears can prey on them), the increasing human development of the Arctic in recent decades may upset the delicate balance in the habitats of this polar whale and lead to a further reduction in its numbers. However, according to scientists, the existence of the narwhal is extremely important for the conservation of the biodiversity of the Arctic seas, since it plays an important role in the functioning of marine communities and the cycle of organic matter. They hope that further study will allow a better understanding of the lifestyle, and the conservation measures taken to protect the unicorn of the Arctic seas.

An inhabitant of the Arctic seas with the scientific name Monodon Linnaeus - Unicorn. This is the rarest whale in the world - a mysterious creature of the ocean.

The narwhal has a large horn, tusk, which makes the whale unique and special. In the male, the tooth turns into a tusk twisted in a spiral (2-3 m long and weighing up to 10 kg).

Narwhal tusk is strong, flexible (it can bend in any direction without breaking).

The remaining teeth in males and females do not develop into tusks (hidden in the gums). Broken tusks do not grow back, and the tooth canal of the lost tusk is closed with a bone filling.

None of the cetaceans (and the whole world of mammals) have nothing like this.

Facts about narwhal

The population of Narwhal around the world is only 45,000 - 30,000 individuals. There are no exact data. Animals are rare (monotypic species), their number is very small.

Narwhal loves to eat cephalopods, squid, shrimp, bottom fish (usually cod, rays, halibut, flounder, gobies).

A similar animal with a similar diet is humpback whales.

To meet a narwhal, you need to go into the waters of the Russian Arctic or the Atlantic Ocean. Animals have a habit of traveling in the eastern part of Russia and off the coast of Greenland.

The narwhal is a slow animal. Most scientists agree that narwhals are slow animals. But they can swim at high speed if they feel threatened by predators. Animals can dive to a depth of 1.5 km (5,000 ft).

During the winter months, narwhals live under the ice. When the summer season comes, they move towards the shore.

A group of narwhals, usually 6-10 individuals with cubs. In large herds of 100-150 heads, narwhals gather during the migration period.

Narwhals are social animals. They do not like loneliness: they travel in groups and are very "talkative".

They communicate using sounds, just like belugas do.

When narwhals communicate with other group members, they will use different types of sounds. It can be whistling, trills, sighs, lowing, clicks, squeaks, gurgling.

The narwhal cleans its tusk by crossing with the tusks of other members of the group. This is a sign of teeth cleaning, friendly contact or duel.

The mating season starts from March to May. The gestation period is 16 months. The female Narwhal delivers 1 calf in the litter. When a calf is born, it has a brown body color. The female gives birth to a calf every three years.

The life expectancy of the narwhal whale in nature is 55 years; and in captivity - 4 months. There are no reports of narwhal breeding in captivity. This indicates that the narwhal does not accept restrictions on its freedom (it dies in captivity). It cannot be kept and bred in an aquarium or marine farm.

The main hunters of the narwhal whale are killer whales and polar bears. Polar sharks prey on narwhal cubs. Man also loves to hunt narwhal.

The population of the narwhal is declining not only because of predators, but also due to climate change and environmental pollution. They are vulnerable because food becomes limited.

The main mystery of narwhals is their horn, tusk. What is its main function, it was not possible to establish exactly.

One of the latest versions is that it is a sense organ, a kind of locator. Perhaps with its help, the animal evaluates the characteristics of water - temperature, flow rate, the presence of suspended particles.

Sea unicorns keep their secrets securely. And artists around the world do not get tired of being inspired by their mysterious and unusual appearance.

sea ​​unicorn

Narwhal and beluga are close relatives, zoologists unite these animals into one family of narwhals, belonging to toothed whales. These inhabitants of the winter Arctic at first glance bear little resemblance to each other both in color and general appearance. But both have a rounded head, a low long skin fold on the back, replacing the dorsal fin, as well as short wide pectoral fins. The only similarity is in the coloring. consists in the fact that the color of the animal changes many times during life, while the cubs are darker than adults. An adult beluga whale is almost white in color, while narwhals have numerous spots on a light background along the dorsal side of the body.

Narwhal is famous for its straight tusk, reaching 3 meters in length, helically twisted clockwise. For this tusk, the narwhal got its second name - the unicorn.

If you have seen the image of the mythical medieval unicorn - a white horse with a long straight horn with a convex helical thread - then you know what the tusk of a very real animal narwhal looks like. The fact is that in medieval Europe, the horn of the "unicorn", set in silver, was an important accessory of any self-respecting palace. This horn was necessarily used by the majordomo (household manager) at the beginning of the feast, to destroy the effect of evil spells, as well as to detect poisons.

Narwhal

The narwhal itself is a small whale (some zoologists classify it as a dolphin, but most, as already mentioned, are isolated together with the beluga whale in a separate family). Males can reach six meters in length and one and a half tons of weight.

Although narwhals are classified as toothed whales, they have few teeth, only two, both in the upper jaw. The left one is the tusk, the right one usually does not protrude from the gum, only occasionally it protrudes a few centimeters.

In females, teeth, as a rule, do not erupt, but, as a rare exception, they also have tiny tusks.

People have long wondered why a unicorn needs its horn. The most obvious answer is that this is a tournament weapon, with which males attack rivals in single combat for the female. However, no one has yet been able to observe narwhals turning their weapons against each other, even when they are fighting for a breath of air in an ice trap. Another traditional explanation is that the male breaks through the ice with his tusk, making an outlet for the entire herd. But no one saw this either, and, as already mentioned, the animals break through the ice with their backs. The tusk is a living tooth, so it is very sensitive; in addition, this fragile formation is easy to break. The third common claim is that the tusk is the narwhal's hunting tool for large fish, which he pierces as if with a spear. Perhaps there is some truth in this explanation, since pierced fish are found in the stomach of dead animals. However, usually, when hunting for fish, such as cod, narwhals line up and drive the prey, swallowing the fish whole.

Maybe the narwhal uses its tusk to drive its favorite food, flounder, from the bottom? Or it may turn out that this is a resonator for amplifying sounds, or, conversely, a sense organ with which the male picks up the ultrasonic signals of relatives.

The male is in the habit of basking on the surface of the sea with his tusk pointed skyward, and may remain in this position for several minutes, during which time he does not appear to be breathing or moving. The Englishman Scoresby, who made seventeen trips to the Arctic at the beginning of the 19th century, more than once saw how the male narwhals, who gathered for "bachelor parties" of fifteen or twenty, played, raising their tusks and crossing them among themselves, like real fencers.

Now most of all narwhals live in the seas washing the islands of northern Canada. This whale prefers to stay away from the coast. It can be found in all our Arctic waters, but is very rare, so the narwhal is listed in the Red Book of Russia as a rare animal.

Unicorn The unicorn, also inrog (in Pliny's monokeros, in the bible rheem) is a fabulous animal, which ancient writers, classical and Jewish, speak of as a truly existing beast. Pliny describes E. as an animal with the head of a deer, the legs of an elephant, the tail of a boar,