Report information
Narwhals are extraordinary creatures. Their sword-like tusks inspired the legend of the unicorn but like many of our World on the Move species, not much is known about their migration. Why? Quite simply, they inhabit one of the world's most remote and inaccessible regions, making them extremely hard to study.
This summer, the local Inuit were joined by a team of conservationists who want to track migrating Narwhals. This team led by Kristin Laidre, a research scientist with the Polar Science Center, University of Washington is interested in climate change and how reduced ice and warmer waters affect Narwhals. However, getting a tracking device on a Narwhal is anything but a walk in the park and this is where the local Inuit come in.
The Inuit of northern Greenland hunt Narwhals and have perfected the art of approaching a Narwhal without being spotted. Their kayaks are designed to be quick but absolutely silent in the water. They used to make these kayaks out of bone and animal skin but they have been replaced by wood and canvas although the overall design remains the same. Once they have paddled into position, they fling their harpoon from the kayak into the flesh of the Narwhal.
On this occasion, the spearhead was loaded with a satellite tracking device that penetrates and remains, (hopefully!), in the Narwhal’s blubber. In case you’re wondering, they don’t feel or notice a thing as there are no nerve endings in this thick fatty layer. As experienced hunters, the Inuit recognise the need to preserve this food resource for future generations and their work with this Narwhal conservation project is gratefully received. Photos by Dan Rees, unless stated otherwise.
So, we now have tagged Narwhals and you should be able to follow their progress for the next two months, until the tags expire.
Further Reading:
NOAA's Tracking Narwhals in Greenland
More video at our Narwhal homepage