A third aspect of the Narwhal Spirit Animal is learning to hone our senses both mundane and spiritual. Narwhal returns you to the inner compass that tells you where “true north” lies. Just pay attention, perceiving that direction every day.
This whale species are one of the deepest diving marine mammals. They can dive as deep as 1,500 m (4,500 ft) lasting around 25 minutes under water. Narwhal can spend more than three hours a day underwater below 800 m depths.
They discovered that not only do narwhals produce them at a rate of up to 1,000 clicks per second, and receive the echos back on pads in their lower jaws, they can also direct them with incredible accuracy, like the narrow beam of an adjustable flashlight.
Whales are associated with compassion and solitude, and knowledge of both life and death. They are also associated with unbridled creativity. The exhalation through the blowhole symbolizes the freeing of one’s own creative energies.
The Canadian Arctic is home to estimated 80,000 narwhal – about 75% of the world population. Their seasonal migration is highly reliable as they return to the same locations year after year in pods that range from 15-20 and as high as 100.
The narwhal is one smart cookie. Interestingly, the first big jump in whale brain size seems to have happened when cetaceans first started using echolocation, the ability to locate objects with sound. The narwhal swims through deep waters in search of its prey, and as you might imagine, it’s a bit murky down there.
Unfortunately, narwhals may not be equipped to handle such close encounters with humans. When these whales face hazards they aren’t used to, their bodies react in a troubling way, researchers reported today in Science.
A blessing of narwhals
Perhaps because narwhals are rarely seen by humans, these groups are known as a ‘blessing’ - something that is gifted and not taken for granted. Most males have a single tusk, earning the species another distinctive title: “the unicorns of the sea.”
They are mysterious elusive animals and have been the beginnings of legends about mythical unicorns of the arctic seas. A lot of people still don’t realise that Narwhals are a real living animal. This is due to the fact they are often spoken of as a mythical creature and so much is still unknown about them.
A group of narwhals is called a blessing.
Little by little, Europeans recognized that their concept of the unicorn was inspired by two very real, very different creatures. Though both the rhinoceros and the narwhal have since left the realm of legend and progressed into the world of science, each animal retains echoes of their mythic pasts.
The oldest narwhals may reach 50 years old, but most have a lifespan of less than 30 years.
Rare instances of double-tusked narwhals have been discovered, but males typically sport a single tusk; females rarely grow tusks. Adult male narwhals are up to 5 meters long (16 feet), not including their tusks, which can grow up to 3 meters (10 feet) long.
The Native Orca Symbol or Killer Whale symbolizes family, romance, longevity, harmony, travel, community and protection. He is said to protect those who travel away from home, and to lead them back when the time comes.
The Interpretation of Strength and Spirituality
Some people believe that whales are associated with peace, serenity, spirituality, and tranquility. The appearance of a whale in a dream can signify that everything is or will be o.k. and is often related to spiritual matters of the mind and heart.
Killer whales and polar bears have been known to attack and eat Narwhals, and at least one Greenland shark has been captured with narwhal remains in its stomach, but it remains unclear if it hunted or scavenged that meal.
Yes, it is true that narwhals exist. Narwhals, Monodon monoceros, are toothed whales with a huge protruding tusk that comes from a tooth. Narwhals belong to the Monodontidae family that live in the Arctic waters of Greenland, Canada, and Russia. They are frequently seen swimming in pods of twenty.
Don’t Freak Out, but Narwhals Are Real and You Can Swim With Them on This Epic Arctic Safari. You should probably sit down for this — there’s a safari available where you can snorkel with narwhals. And yes, narwhals are very much real, in case you ever found yourself wondering about that.
Narwhal populations are hovering around 75,000 which means they are considered Near Threatened by the IUCN, and without appropriate protection could continue to decline.
As a true Arctic whale, narwhals can mostly be found in the frigid waters of Canada and Greenland. And while the males sport spiraled, eight-foot-long tusks that push their total body length towards the size of a school bus, these conspicuous-looking creatures aren’t fond of the limelight.
Narwhals mostly spend their time at depths between zero and 50 meters. Narwhals sleep in small bodies of waters in between the ice with their tusking (group).
Many times, the female tusks fall off. Although many females do not grow tusks, looking inside the upper jaw of a female narwhal and removing bone sections, you can find two small tusks that haven’t broken the surface.
Scoresby describes them as “extremely playful, frequently elevating their horns and crossing them with each other as in fencing.” They have never been known to charge and pierce the bottom of ships with their weapons, as the swordfish does. The name “sea-unicorn” is sometimes applied to the narwhal.
Narwhals have been extensively hunted the same way as other sea mammals, such as seals and whales, for their large quantities of fat. Almost all parts of the narwhal, meat, skin, blubber and organs are consumed. Muktuk, the name for raw skin and blubber, is considered a delicacy.