Young narwhals, called calves, are born in the late summer and weaned at 1 year of age. (www.arkive.org) They live in groups of 2-10 and may congregate into a herd of over 100 when migrating. Narwhals begin their autumn migration in September (Watt and Ferguson 2015) where they migrate away from the shore to deep waters under the Arctic ice. This is an important season for nutritional gain. (Laidre 2005) Between March and May, narwhals will mate, and in June and July, the ice begins to break and they move closer to the shore. Calves are born at this time as gestation is 15 months long, and females give birth to only one calf at a time approximately once every 3 years. (Mansfield et al. 1975)

Narwhals are normally close to the water's surface during the summer months, regularly keeping their heads and tusks out of the water and communicating with the herd through clicks and whistles. While hunting, they will move slowly and erratically, diving deep under the water for 7-20 minutes at a time. Narwhals are careful to avoid their predators: sharks, orcas, polar bears and walruses, as well as the Inuit in the summertime where they are hunted as a subsistence food, and for their tusks. (www.arkive.org) 

​

​

​

The closest relative to the narwhal is the white whale (Delphinapterus leucas). At birth, the narwhal's skin is grey, but it becomes covered in white patches with age. The most well-known feature of the narwhal is its long tusk, which was originally a tooth that has extended out of the upper jaw. Tusks are normally seen in males only, but have been found in females as well. The tusk's purpose is unknown, but it is speculated to be a male sex characteristic that plays a part in aggressive display (Mansfield et al. 1975), or a sensory element as it has nerve endings within. (Bobechko and Stockton 2006)

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

There are three recognized populations of narwhals in the world, the largest being the Baffin Bay population. During the winter months, this population occupies the Arctic waters under the ice in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait between Baffin Island and Greenland. In the summer, they migrate towards the shore, where they give birth in the warmer waters. The East Greenland population spends summer near the shores of Greenland, and migrates outwards into the Greenland Sea in the winter, where they live under the ice. The Northern Hudson Bay population inhabits the northern shores of Hudson Bay in the summer, and Hudson Strait in the winter. (Watt et al. 2013)

​