Watch: Narwhals’ tusks help them chase prey and hunt

Tusks are one of narwhals’ defining features, but researchers have never been entirely clear about their function. Now, drones have revealed more about how the northern cetaceans use these large appendages that are actually overgrown teeth. New footage analyzed in a study published in Frontiers in Marine Science shows narwhals (Monodon monoceros) using these unicorn-like horns to herd, guide, stun and perhaps even kill their arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) prey. Scientists had previously observed narwhals raising their tusks out of the water in tandem, something that may represent some sort of competition between males for mates. But researchers haven’t well documented them using their tusks to manipulate the behavior of prey. “I have been studying narwhals for over a decade and have always marveled at their tusks,” said Cortney Watt, a co-author of the study and team lead at Fisheries and Oceans, Canada, in a press release. “To observe them using their tusks for foraging and play is remarkable. This unique study, where we set up a remote field camp and spent time filming narwhals with drones, is yielding many interesting insights and is providing a bird’s-eye view of their behavior that we have never seen before.”

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