Children often fantasize that they can have a white pony with long pointed horns, the "unicorn", because it is a symbol of luck. Legend has it that the unicorn's sharp horns can bring good luck to those who touch it, no matter how many wishes people have. Does such a magical animal really exist? Where are they found?
With the development of navigation, there are more and more trade exchanges between countries in the world. In 1515, a ship carrying a mysterious gift to the Portuguese pope, the legendary unicorn. However, before reaching its destination, the ship unfortunately sank due to bad weather, and the rare "unicorn" was also killed. Because of this incident, people are full of more curiosity about this creature. What does the true face of this mysterious creature look like? People can't help but speculate that some people say that it looks like a horse, white all over, with long pointed horns, which will make people intoxicated at a glance.
It can be seen that Europeans have a special love for unicorns. The popularity of unicorns is also getting higher and higher, and everyone is looking for this legendary creature. Some people thought they had seen a sea unicorn with long spiral-shaped horns, and later people learned that this creature was called a narwhal.
The horns of narwhals are "valuable"
In the 16th century, a navigator presented one of his treasures to Queen Elizabeth, the horn of a narwhal. The queen was very happy to receive it, and with a wave of her hand, she directly rewarded him with ten thousand pounds. The money was not a small amount, and it was enough to buy a castle at the time. Since then, people have been circulating the saying that "castles are exchanged for golden horns".
At the time, owning a whale horn was even a symbol of money and power. King Charles V of Austria even went so far as to empty the treasury in order to successfully buy a whale horn.
For medieval Europeans, this horn was full of unknowns, and they once considered it a reward from heaven that only those chosen by God could possess. Countless merchants trumpeted it, making the price of this horn soar, even ten times more expensive than gold.
Narwhals live mainly in the waters near the Arctic Circle, and they will hardly leave their homeland for the rest of their lives. The Arctic is long and cold, and normal people cannot adapt to the local environment. In real life, it is difficult to catch a large marine fish in temperate regions, let alone a huge narwhal in the perennially frozen Arctic.
Healthy narwhals are quite vigilant and do not put themselves in trouble under normal circumstances, and narwhals are social animals, and when one whale encounters danger, other companions will lend a helping hand. Therefore, the probability of successfully catching a narwhal is extremely low, and of course, occasionally the lucky ones will catch an old or injured narwhal. The number of narwhal horns circulating in the market is also relatively small, and the price is also rising.
The narwhal is a marine mammal with a body length of 4 to 5 meters. In fact, the horns of narwhals are not "horns", but narwhals' canine teeth. It grows upwards from the left upper jaw and can reach two to three meters in length. Most narwhals have only one tusk, some can grow two, and only male narwhals have such teeth.
Three hypotheses of the action of the whale horn
What is the purpose of narwhals with such long horns? Many people have speculated about this, and there are three main ones that have been adopted.
The first guess is that it was used as a weapon to defend against the enemy. Killer whales and polar bears are natural enemies of narwhals. Killer whales have intelligent brains, they are good at group hunting, and when they hunt narwhals, they like to drive single-handed narwhals to dead corners of the ice. Polar bears are strong and flexible, and can easily tear apart the skin tissue of narwhals. Whenever a narwhal is chased by these two beasts, it will find the right time to easily pierce the bodies of killer whales and polar bears with its long and sharp horns, and at the same time take advantage of the opportunity to flee when the other party is injured and slow to move.
Therefore, when faced with a group of narwhals, these two predators no longer have the heart to hunt, and even flee into the wilderness.
The second guess is that narwhals use their horns to catch prey. In nature, most animals rely on their claws or teeth to tear up and catch food. Whales, however, do not have sharp claws, and they can only rely on their long horns to obtain prey. The tip of the horn is sharp and can easily pierce carapace creatures.
The third guess is that the horn is used to help the narwhal breathe, which does not mean that the horn of the narwhal has suction holes. Narwhals rely on their lungs to breathe, so every once in a while they surface for ventilation. However, Arctic temperatures are in minus tens of degrees all year round, and many times the sea surface is covered with thick layers of ice. When the ice surface of the sea is completely sealed, the narwhal wants to breathe and relies on its horns to break the ice surface to ensure that it is not choked to death.
Of course, some people do not agree with the above three reasons. They believe that female narwhals also need to avoid predators, prey, etc., but they do not have long horns. According to this theory, female narwhals are weaker than males in strength and size, and females should have horns to protect themselves, but they are not. Those three statements are not entirely in line with the actual situation and are completely subjective speculation.
The "practical role" of whale horns
With the development of the times, these claims have been denied by scientists one by one, and later studies have confirmed that the horns of narwhals usually have three functions.
One role is used to fight for mating rights. In nature, females prefer stronger and more beautiful males. Males often fight each other through a battle, and the winner will get the final mating rights, such as the male deer will fight each other with antlers, the rhino will use rhino horns, and so on. The same is true for male narwhals.
Having a long, sharp horn means it has a greater chance of winning the mating rights with other males, and it will be more favored by females. Moreover, in later studies and observations, it was found that many male narwhals still had wounds on their heads during fighting, which further verified that this statement was correct.
Of course, its second role is to perceive the environment. The inside of the horn is rich in nerve fibers, which can not only sense the temperature and pressure in the water, but also detect the thickness of the ice and the movement of fish. Like a radar, it keeps informed of movements in the sea of narwhals, helping them escape harsh environments and catch food.
Finally, narwhals can transmit feelings by rubbing their horns. Animals cannot express their feelings through language or facial expressions like humans, and they use other methods to communicate. Whenever a narwhal has an emotional exchange with a companion, they rub each other's horns to show friendship. Of course, since female narwhals don't have tusks, they make special sounds to relay information.
In modern society, excessive carbon dioxide emissions have accelerated global temperatures, the Arctic climate has become less suitable for the "indigenous people" there, and the number of narwhals is slowly decreasing. As a member of the Earth, humans should not capture these animals whose lives are difficult in their own right. We should always remember: less killing, more love.
Resources
Tooth whale hunting behavior award[J]. Sohov. Inside and outside the classroom (Science Fans). 2021(11)
[2] Several suggestions for the revision of the textbook "Whale"[J]. ZHANG Shouzhi. Biology Teaching. 2000(02)
[3] White phantom in the blue ice sea[J]. Sayu. Encyclopedia for Middle School Students. 2018(Z6)
[4] "Alternative" organisms in the water world[J]. LUO Yi. Big Tech (Science Mystery). 2003(09)
Author: December Preliminary Reviewer: Ding Bao'er School Manuscript Editor: W