Where do Narwhals Live
Narwhals are unique looking whales with long straight tusks that begin on the left side of the upper jaw. These tusks are found in most male narwhals, but only about 15% of females grow similar tusks. Narwhals are a species of medium sized whale and they are most closely related to the Beluga whale. They have long been hunted as a source of meat an ivory and, although regulated, this practice continues today. The species is considered to be near threatened and could be threatened by climate change. Let’s find out where the narwhal lives.
Where do narwhals live?
The largest population of Narwhals are found in the inlets and fjords of Northern Canada and western Greenland. However, this species can be found throughout most of the in the Atlantic and Russian areas of the Arctic Ocean. Narwhals are often spotted throughout the northern parts of Hudson Bay in Canada (not to be confused with New York Harbor) and through to Baffin Bay off Greenland. The following regional map shows the distribution of this species (the solid blue area is where the narwhals commonly found and striped blue area is rare sightings only).
This world map shows to distribution of the narwhal (in blue)
Did you know?
It is estimated that there is approximately 75,000 of these animals in the wild. There is concern that these animals are so well adapted to the arctic conditions that they may be unable to adapt in the event of changing sea and ice temperature. Due to this and the fact that this species is still hunted for meat and ivory, it is estimated that this species will be listed as threatened by 2017.
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