Narwhals are ocean's coolest, most mysterious mammals

As much as I applaud scientific research that reveals nature’s secrets, I feel a sense of satisfaction when some natural mysteries remain mysteries. The narwhal is my favorite example.

Narwhals are a sort of marine unicorn of the Arctic Ocean.

Males have a long spiral tusk (up to 10 feet!) that develops from the single, left upper jaw tooth — an overgrown canine tooth. Some scientists have suggested the spears are used in male-male combat. I am not aware of any definitive study confirming that the tusks are used for fighting rather than just for display. However, reports of tusk injuries to adult males suggest that combat may sometimes occur.

Whatever the case, males have tusks and females typically do not. So they are presumably used in some activity that males engage in that the oppos