What are the tusks of the Narvali for? We have been asking us for decades, because these cetaceans are among the most mysterious and difficult to observe in nature. More generally, we know little about their behavior, for this reason we are even more fascinated by their appearance, which over the centuries has helped inspire Myths like that of the Unicorn.
Now, thanks to the work of the Florida Atlantic University and the use of drones, we have finally managed to film them and observe them in their “everyday life”discovering what the function of their zanna is: you can see them in action in Video below. The study that documents this discovery was published on Frontiers in Marine Science.
Not just play. Narvals are particularly recognizable for the long spiral zanna that comes out of their mouth: it is a deck and with an unmistakable form. Is present especially in males (even if there are females with the “dentone”), for this reason it was thought that it was a tool used in competition with other males and to conquer females. Hypothesis so far not supported by direct observations, which have been possible for the first time thanks to the use of drones, who followed some specimens that live in theCanadian Arctic.
We have so discovered that the narcones use their disproportionate teeth for different purposes. First of all there is exploration and search for food: Zanna is used to hunt for Arctic Psalms, big fish which are attached and stunned before being eaten.
Courtship. Narveti use the Zanne too to play And to explore the surrounding environment – an action made possible by the fact that these cetaceans know how to use the appendix with extreme precision. The dentone also has social purposes: the narards use it for communicate with each other and to stage ritual behaviors related to courtship – For example, lifting them over the surface of the water and crossing them with those of other males, probably to get noticed by females.
Question of privacy. The use of drones, a non -invasive method that does not disturb the animals, will also allow long -term monitoring – fundamental in an environment like the Arctic one that is changing very quickly due to global warming.
