ABOVE IMAGE: Working quickly and carefully, researchers attach a satellite transmitter to a narwhal’s dorsal ridge. Once released, they will track the narwhal for up to 300 days capturing data about migration, diving behavior, water Temperature. Pete Ewins, WWF-Canada.
Our latest exhibition in the Dotty Brown Art & Nature Center is all about the “unicorns of the sea.” Narwhal: Revealing an Arctic Legend opened September 28 and focuses on these highly recognizable creatures that spend their lives in the Arctic waters of Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia. It offers a deeper dive into the world of these unique ocean dwellers and their changing ecosystem through firsthand accounts from scientists and Inuit community members. We sat down to talk about narwhals, narwhal legends and climate research in the Arctic with Jane Winchell, the Sarah Fraser Robbins director of the Dotty Brown Art & Nature Center and curator of natural history here at PEM.
Q: What is a narwhal?
A: A narwhal is a tusked whale — the tusk itself is a modified tooth. These whales live in the northernmost part of the world, primarily in the Arctic Ocean off of Canada and Greenland, and spend a good part of their lives — five months out of the year — living under and among the sea ice.
Q: How are narwhals different from the whales people might see in New England waters?
A: We don't have any whales that have tusks in New England. We have whales here that might migrate into the Arctic, but they would never be there year-round.
Narwhals are medium-sized toothed whales, ranging from 13 to 18 feet long not including the long tusk seen on most males, which averages about 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 meters). Glenn Williams, Narwhal Tusk Research.
Narwhals are one of the few kinds of whales that live in that icy water all year, along with bowhead whales and belugas. Belugas are the narwhal's closest relative out of all the species of whales.
Narwhals are medium-sized toothed whales, ranging from 13 to 18 feet long not including the long tusk seen on most males, which averages about 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 meters). Glenn Williams, Narwhal Tusk Research.
Q: Why do people sometimes refer to narwhals as “unicorns of the sea?”
A: Look at the tusk! For centuries, “unicorn horns” were sold that were actually narwhal tusks. They were sold for a great deal of money partly because unicorn horns were thought to cure disease and protect you from poison. Narwhals have this deep, mythical connection with the unicorn that's been part of legend for nearly 2,000 years.
Q: How big are narwhals?
A: The whale itself may be up to 18 feet long, but then it may have a tusk that's another eight feet, sometimes up to 10 feet long. The males generally have the tusk. Some of them may have two tusks. Most of the females do not have a tusk, and if they do, it'll be smaller.
Q: What is a narwhal’s tusk used for?
A: That's been a topic of great interest. There have been a lot of theories: Do they use it as a defense mechanism? Are they sparring with other males? Are they using it to capture prey? One thing that has been more recently investigated is the sensitivity of the tusk. Scientists have found that it's actually loaded with nerve endings. It's highly sensitive and it can measure the salinity of the water. There's a lot of research still to be done, but it is definitely changing the thinking around the function of the tusk.
Q: Why is it difficult to see narwhals in the wild?
A: I was really eager to get a chance to see them, and then I started looking into what it would take to get up to where they live. It's multiple plane rides into more and more remote areas, and then you have to take a snowmobile or dog sled out to where you might possibly see a narwhal. They are well north of the Arctic Circle for most of the year. Then, for five months of the year, they're actually living under and among sea ice. They're generally a very shy animal.
Q: What is the relationship between narwhals and Inuit communities living in the Arctic?
A: It's only the Inuit culture that has had this long-standing connection with narwhals. We have generations of Inuit that have documented them. Many Inuit communities have a very profound relationship with the narwhal, and that is explored as part of this exhibition. That's one of the reasons that we particularly were excited about bringing this show to PEM. The exhibition showcases not only the biology of the narwhal and what remarkable animals they are, but also the range of ways that people have been inspired by narwhals over centuries around the world, including this profound interconnection between Inuit people and the narwhal. The very survival of Inuit culture in many ways is tied to the narwhal. They have been a long-term food source, but there's also a tremendous amount of respect for the narwhal, and an interdependence.
We are really indebted to the Inuit community for sharing so much of what they know. The scientific community is in a better position thanks to that connection. Government policies are better prepared to put in place what needs to be established to protect narwhals going forward.
Q: What kind of artwork will people encounter in this exhibition?
A: We're really pleased to be featuring Inuit art that depicts narwhals, including some recent gifts to the museum. PEM also purchased a wonderful print that is an example of one of the legends of the narwhal, the origin story of the narwhal. Those are things that we’re adding into the Smithsonian’s original traveling exhibition, as well as one of our historic books that features a representation of the narwhal.
We have quite a few volumes in the Phillips Library that show the progression of the narwhal, starting with what was seen by early explorers or depictions from the 1500s imagining this fantastical monstrous creature. Then, as recently as the 1800s, they started to be represented much more as they really are. It's cool to see that progression from the sea monster to this whale with a tusk that is not a threat to humans, but is more of a marvel.
Q: Does PEM have any narwhal objects in our natural history collection?
First-hand accounts from scientists and Inuit community members reveal how traditional knowledge and experience, coupled with scientific research, heighten our understanding of the narwhal and the changing Arctic. Joseph Meehan, Narwhal Tusk Research.
A: In The Pod, right next to the Narwhal exhibition, we have a real 8-foot-long narwhal tusk that was collected back in 1898 on a Robert Peary expedition to the Arctic. It probably would have been collected from one of the Inuit hunters who would have gathered it. It's been part of PEM's collection for over 120 years.
First-hand accounts from scientists and Inuit community members reveal how traditional knowledge and experience, coupled with scientific research, heighten our understanding of the narwhal and the changing Arctic. Joseph Meehan, Narwhal Tusk Research.
Q: What's happening to narwhals’ habitat?
A: Narwhals rely on some of the coldest waters in the world, up in the Arctic Ocean, and they also rely on the sea ice. One of the reasons sea ice is so important for them is it actually protects them from certain predators. Orcas are primary predators of narwhals, but if you think about that long dorsal fin on an orca, that makes it very hard to navigate in sea ice. That's a place where narwhals and their calves can be protected from predators like orca. The sea ice has been diminishing over the last several decades. The Arctic Ocean and the Arctic in general are warming due to human-caused climate change. The Arctic is actually warming faster than pretty much anywhere on the planet, two to three times faster than most other areas of the world. It's a rapidly-changing environment.
A really interesting point is that narwhals do not survive in captivity. We can't start a breeding program for them if they start to become vulnerable. Right now, their population could be around 170,000 whales. The warming Arctic, the loss of the sea ice and the warming of the Arctic Ocean and surrounding waters is jeopardizing their food supply. Another thing that's a problem for narwhals is all the exploration and excavation that's going on to harvest the resources that are under the Arctic Ocean. One area that's particularly problematic for narwhals is seismic testing, the loud sound booms that are being used to analyze what's under the seabed. They are moving out of those areas where that's happening. There's also real concern that the narwhals are physically affected by these large seismic booms that are happening, because they have incredibly sensitive hearing. It's part of what they're using to find their prey. They're using echolocation. They're creating a sound picture. Those are super sensitive systems that are not designed to withstand the impact of loud sound pulses or booms.
Q: What can people expect from the exhibition experience?
A: One of the first things that will strike you is a full-scale narwhal model. You can't miss it. That is a cool way for people to immediately get a sense of this animal. What are the questions that come up when you see it? We also have a touchable cast of a narwhal tusk that's over eight feet long. When you come into the exhibition, one of the things you'll have an opportunity to do is listen to narwhal vocalizations. They're using whistles, and buzzing sounds and clicks. It's partly echolocation, where if you slowed that down, you'd actually hear pulses in between, but it’s also the whales’ way of communicating with each other. They have quite a range of sounds that they make as part of their day-to-day existence. I love the fact that we have a soundscape where you can listen to the narwhals. Then, that switches to the above-water sounds, where you can hear Arctic terns and other seabirds. You can get the experience that you are there with the narwhals. You're there in an environment that the Inuit culture has thrived in for thousands of years.
Q: What do you hope people take away from this exhibition?
A: I feel like the experience of exploring the Inuit culture’s interconnection with narwhals is a way for us who are not part of Inuit culture to further our own sense of relatedness to nature, our deep connection with other species of life. Narwhal is a great tie-in with our Climate + Environment Initiative at PEM. The initiative itself is both an inward-facing and an outward-looking effort to bring conversation to this very critical topic, as well as motivating action. Hopefully, we’re inspiring creative solutions through our interactions within the museum itself, with each other and also with the public through these exhibitions and programs that we've been offering since 2021.
Narwhal: Revealing an Arctic Legend is on view through June 15, 2025. This exhibition is organized by the Smithsonian's Traveling Exhibition Service as well as the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
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