Narwhal Monodon monoceros Least concern
Where the narwhal lives – recorded in 3 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.
Pin and shaded countries are approximate. The pin is a representative wild sighting (a central record among 156 open-licence GBIF records), not an official range. Method · Records on GBIF · See whales & dolphins on the world map
| Scientific name | Monodon monoceros |
|---|---|
| Group | Whales & dolphins |
| Status | Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label) |
| Found in | 3 countries |
| Continents | Europe, North America |
| Mass | 80 kg (birth weight) |
| Diet (main food) | Boreogadus saida |
| Class | Mammal |
| Order | Artiodactyla |
| Family | Monodontidae |
Where does the narwhal live?
Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the narwhal in 3 countries and territories across Europe and North America.
Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.
How big is a narwhal?
Wikidata records the following for the narwhal: mass 80 kg (birth weight).
What does a narwhal eat?
Wikidata lists the main food source of the narwhal as: Boreogadus saida.
Is the narwhal endangered?
The narwhal’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.
What kind of animal is the narwhal?
The narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is a mammal in the order Artiodactyla and the family Monodontidae, genus Monodon. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)
About the narwhal
The narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is a species of toothed whale native to the Arctic. It is the only member of the genus Monodon and one of two living representatives of the family Monodontidae. The narwhal is a stocky cetacean with a relatively blunt snout, a large melon, and a shallow ridge in place of a dorsal fin. Males of this species have a spiralled tusk, which is a protruding left canine, that is 1.5–3.0 m (4.9–9.8 ft) long and thought to function as a secondary sexual characteristic, a weapon, a tool for feeding, or a sensory organ. Specially adapted slow-twitch muscles, along with the jointed neck vertebrae and shallow dorsal ridge allow for easy movement through the Arctic environment, where the narwhal spends extended periods at great depths. The narwhal's geographic range overlaps with that of the similarly built and closely related beluga whale, and the animals are known to interbreed.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Narwhal (revision 1380354604), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q159426 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).
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