the.com/narwhal
the unicorn of the sea, except its horn is actually a giant nerve-packed tooth
means A medium-sized Arctic whale, the males of which sport a single long, spiraled tusk projecting from the upper jaw.
from From Old Norse *náhvalr*, which breaks down rather grimly into *nár* meaning 'corpse' plus *hvalr* meaning 'whale' — likely because the creature's pale, mottled skin reminded Norse sailors of a drowned body floating in the icy water. The name traveled into English through Scandinavian and Dutch around the 17th century. So the 'unicorn of the sea' is, etymologically, the 'corpse-whale' — a far darker pedigree than its mythical reputation suggests.
- the tusk
- a single tooth spiraling up to nine feet long
- sensor not sword
- the tusk detects water temperature and salinity
- deep diver
- plunges over a mile down for fish
- rare twin
- some narwhals grow two tusks
- medieval scam
- sold as unicorn horns to royalty for fortunes
narwhal of the arctic — monodon monoceros: tusked whale living in waters around greenland, russia, and canada with a 10-foot spiral tusk
narwhal tusk ivory trade — historical 16th-17th century practice: european royalty paid enormous sums for narwhal tusks, believing them to be unicorn horns with magical properties
narwhal pod baffin island — largest concentration: up to 80,000 narwhals migrate through baffin bay between greenland and canada each summer