Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Scientists Launch Arctic Search to Find Narwhals
CBS News ^ | November 3, 2011 | Katharine Gammon

Posted on 11/18/2011 5:24:25 PM PST by nickcarraway

The frigid waters of the Arctic are home to near-mythical creatures, sometimes called the "unicorns of the sea" for the long, ivory tusk that spirals several feet out of the top of their heads.

Worldwide there are only about 50,000 to 80,000 narwhals, as they are more commonly known, with about two-thirds of these whales summering in the fjords and inlets of Nunavut in northern Canada.

Scientists are hoping to learn more about narwhals through a new effort to track them as they move around the icy waters of northern Canada, as well as more about how declining amounts of sea ice are affecting the creatures.

"Although we've been working on a better understanding of the narwhal in the past seven or eight years, it was only recently that people have figured out how to fit satellite radios to them, so we know where they go and what they're eating,” said Pete Ewins, an Arctic species specialist for the environmental group WWF-Canada.

Narwhal transmitters

A new project tagged nine narwhals in Tremblay Sound off the coast of the northern province of Nunavut back in August. The scientists restrained the whales, which can weigh up to 3,500 pounds (1,600 kilograms), and fitted them with a satellite radio that has a transmitter mounted with Teflon rods to the blubber near the whale's dorsal area.

"The whole system is no bigger than a Blackberry cellphone, with a little transmitter the length of a pencil that sticks up," Ewins told OurAmazingPlanet.

When a narwhal comes to surface, the radio unit contacts with the air and activates the signal transmission. The animal's location is then sent via satellite to the researchers.

Of those nine whales fitted with the device, seven still have trackers that are transmitting information. For the others, the system likely malfunctioned or fell off. Eventually all of the trackers will be slowly expelled by the animals’ immune system.

While seven whales isn't a huge sample size, Ewins said that a lot of information can be gained by watching where the whales go. "Their position tells you depth of water over which they're spending the dark days of winter," he said.

Preserving Arctic waters

In addition to the basic coordinates, digital sensors also record the depth and the duration of each whale's dive. From that information, scientists can infer what the whales are eating during different times of the year, and how the thickness of sea ice in different parts of the Arctic impacts their behavior. [Infographic: Tallest Mountain to Deepest Ocean Trench]

The information can also be used to make a case for keeping these northern waters free from oil and gas exploration. Since narwhals are both protected and acoustically sensitive, knowing their locations could help the government make better decisions to preserve marine environments.

"The local native Inuit, who are our partners, are concerned about the changes in the sea ice but also the prospect of noisy ships and explosions to test for oil and gas," Ewins said.

You can track the whales' movements here.


TOPICS: Outdoors; Pets/Animals; Science
KEYWORDS: arcitc; canada; narwhal

1 posted on 11/18/2011 5:24:32 PM PST by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway
That's not a Narwhal. Now this is a Narwhal (or was until they decommisioned her):
2 posted on 11/18/2011 5:31:34 PM PST by AndyJackson
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

They are a little bit like sharks with frickin’ laser-beams attached to their heads.


3 posted on 11/18/2011 5:34:18 PM PST by ClearCase_guy (Roll the stone away, Let the guilty pay, It's Independence Day)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway
...there are only about 50,000 to 80,000 narwhals...

How many does the Earth Owner's manual say there are supposed to be?

4 posted on 11/18/2011 5:39:44 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Stop BIG Government Greed Now!!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: FlingWingFlyer

Shouldn’t we all be able to have a pet narwhal?


5 posted on 11/18/2011 5:42:27 PM PST by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

I was hoping to re-spoke my wagon with narwhal horn.


6 posted on 11/18/2011 5:45:48 PM PST by King Moonracer (Bad lighting and cheap fabric, that's how you sell clothing.....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSF9w0Kf2wk


7 posted on 11/18/2011 5:48:51 PM PST by muawiyah
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

They haven't made a satellite radio yet big enough to fit that narwhal from Arizona.

8 posted on 11/18/2011 5:53:01 PM PST by Snickering Hound
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Snickering Hound

C’mon, narwhals are beautiful creatures.


9 posted on 11/18/2011 5:55:38 PM PST by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Buddy the Elf knows where the Narwales reside!
10 posted on 11/18/2011 6:01:15 PM PST by Mr. Binnacle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: King Moonracer
RE: '...hoping to re-spoke my wagon with narwhal horn.'

It isn't a horn - it's a tooth, of which narwhals only have two. Usually only the left tooth grows out of the jaw - but in rare instances both do, with only the left one growing to greater length.

The males use them as weapons in fights over females, often leading to the death of one or more males.

11 posted on 11/18/2011 6:06:17 PM PST by Ron C.
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: muawiyah

Wrong link... this is the original.

http://www.weebls-stuff.com/songs/Narwhals/


12 posted on 11/18/2011 6:18:26 PM PST by gogogodzilla (Live free or die!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

13 posted on 11/18/2011 6:37:32 PM PST by aMorePerfectUnion (You know, 99.99999965% of the lawyers give all of them a bad name)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Narwhal Horn

http://www.scubascoop.co.uk/animals/narwhal_horn_mystery_solved.php

14 posted on 11/18/2011 7:03:05 PM PST by TChad
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway
A little whale hunting music...
15 posted on 11/18/2011 7:32:10 PM PST by TigersEye (Life is about choices. Your choices. Make good ones.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQvVVsq6vYY


16 posted on 11/18/2011 8:24:14 PM PST by wally_bert (It's sheer elegance in its simplicity! - The Middleman)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson