The narwhal’s “horn” hides an anatomical surprise

The narwhal seems to carry a spear fixed in the middle of the face. But his long defense is not a horn planted in the skull. This is usually the upper left canine, which grows out of the mouth and passes through the lip. The famous silhouette of this Arctic whale begins with a tooth.

Museum collections make it possible to compare jaws and track the position of teeth. A study presented by the Smithsonian examined more than one hundred and thirty skulls. The corresponding tooth on the right side remains normally included in the jaw, without forming a second long defense.

However, there are exceptions to this configuration: some females have a defence, and rare narwhals have two. We must therefore be wary of rules that are too absolute. Recognizing the dental origin of the spiral also doesn’t solve all the questions about its functions. The object that evoked a unicorn belongs to a very real and more variable anatomy.