Hey there! Let's learn about narwhals.
What looks like a horn on a narwhal is not a horn at all. It is a very big tooth called a tusk.
Step-by-step: Why it is a tooth
- Looks like a big spiral — The long pointy thing sticks out from the narwhal's head and looks like a unicorn horn, but...
- It grows from the mouth — That tusk grows out of the narwhal's top jaw, just like your tooth grows from your gums.
- It has nerves and blood — Scientists checked and found nerves and blood inside the tusk, the same kind of things inside teeth, so it can feel things.
- It's a very long tooth — A narwhal's tusk can grow very long, especially in boys. People call this long tooth a tusk.
What does the tusk do?
- It helps the narwhal feel the water around it, like a big touch-feeler.
- Sometimes narwhals use it to show other narwhals who they are.
- Scientists think it might help in little fights or to find food, but it is mainly a special, useful tooth.
Fun activity
Draw a narwhal with a long tusk. Color it and show where the tusk comes from — the mouth area! You can also pretend your finger is a tusk and very gently touch a blanket. Tell someone: "My finger is a narwhal tooth!"
Questions to think about: Do you think the narwhal's tusk is more like a tooth or more like a horn? Why?
Nice work learning about narwhals — they are like the ocean's unicorns, but with a tooth instead of a horn!