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Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Play> *Wicked Tooth Narwhal .im* mp3. The ivory tusk coming out of the head of the narwhal comes from a front tooth. That makes it kind of a cool wicked tooth. I think the this song is calling to be rewritten and recorded to include this narwhal tooth fact. Wicked Tooth stele 12 improv don’t drive your car far far up north 10,000 miles of year makes the arctic hotter and to those of you who don’t even have a car someday you all going to get older be kind to the planet ~~~~~~ Wikipedia excerpt: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narwhal The scientific name, Monodon monoceros, is derived from Greek: “one-tooth one-horn”[6] or “one-toothed unicorn”. The narwhal is most closely related to the beluga whale. Together, these two species comprise the only extant members of the Monodontidae family, sometimes referred to as the “white whales”. The Monodontidae are distinguished by medium size (3-5 m in length), forehead melons, short snouts, and the absence of a true dorsal fin.[7] The white whales, dolphins (Delphinidae) and porpoises (Phocoenidae) together comprise the Delphinoidea superfamily, which are of likely monophyletic origin. Genetic evidence suggests the porpoises are more closely related to the white whales, and that these two families constitute a separate clade which diverged from the Delphinoidea within the past 11 million years.[8] Usually, males have a single long tusk, the canine on the left side of the upper jaw. (Zoologisches Museum in Hamburg)Male narwhals weigh up to 1,600 kilograms (3,500 lb), and the females weigh around 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb). The pigmentation of the narwhal is a mottled black and white pattern. They are darkest when born and become whiter in color with age.[6][9] The most conspicuous characteristic of the male narwhal is its single 2–3 meter (7–10 ft) long tusk, a canine tooth[10] that projects from the left side of the upper jaw and forms a left-handed helix. The tusk can be up to 3 meters (9.8 ft) long—compared with a body length of 4–5 meters (13–16 ft)—and weigh up to 10 kilograms (22 lb). About one in 500 males has two tusks, which occurs when the right canine, normally small, also grows out. A female narwhal has a shorter, and straighter tusk.[11] She may also produce a second tusk, but this occurs rarely, and there is a single recorded case of a female with dual tusks.[12] The most broadly accepted theory for the role of the tusk is as a secondary sexual characteristic, similar to the mane of a lion or the tail feathers of a peacock.[6] This hypothesis was notably discussed and defended at length by Charles Darwin, in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871). It may help determine social rank, maintain dominance hierarchies, or help young males develop skills necessary for performance in adult sexual roles. Narwhals have rarely been observed using their tusk for fighting,[13] other aggressive behavior or for breaking sea ice in their Arctic habitat.[6] Behavior and diet Narwhals exhibit seasonal migrations, with high fidelity of return to preferred, ice-free summering grounds, usually in shallow waters. In the winter, they are found primarily in offshore, deeper waters under thick pack ice, surfacing in narrow fissures in the sea ice, or leads.[15] Narwhals from Canada and West Greenland winter regularly in the pack ice of Davis Strait and Baffin Bay along the continental slope with less than 5% open water and high densities of Greenland halibut.[3] Feeding in the winter accounts for a much larger portion of narwhal energy intake than in the summer[3][15] and, as marine predators, they are unique in their successful exploitation of deep-water arctic ecosystems. Most notable of their adaptations is the ability to perform deep dives. When on their wintering grounds, the narwhals make some of the deepest dives ever recorded for a marine mammal, diving to at least 800 meters (2,625 feet) over 15 times per day, with many dives reaching 1,500 meters (4,921 feet). Dives to these depths last around 25 minutes, including the time spent at the bottom and the transit down and back from the surface.[16] In the shallower summering grounds, narwhals dive to depths between 30 and 300 meters (90–900 feet). Narwhals normally congregate in groups of about five to ten individuals. In the summer, several groups come together, forming larger aggregations. At times, male narwhals rub their tusks together in an activity called “tusking”.[14] This behavior is thought to maintain social dominance hierarchies.[14] Population and distribution The world population is currently estimated to be around 75,000 individuals.[4] Most of the world’s narwhals are concentrated in the fjords and inlets of Northern Canada and western Greenland. Narwhals are a migratory species. In summer months, they move closer to coasts, usually in pods of 10-100. As the winter freeze begins, they move away from shore, and reside in densely packed ice, surviving in leads and small holes in the ice. As spring comes, these leads open up into channels and the narwhals return to the coastal bays.[4] [edit] Predation and conservationThe only predators of narwhals besides humans are polar bears and killer whales (orcas). Inuit people are allowed to hunt this whale species legally for subsistence. The northern climate provides little nutrition in the form of vitamins, which can only be obtained through the consumption of seal, whale, and walrus. Almost all parts of the narwhal, meat, skin, blubber and organs are consumed. Mattak, the name for raw skin and blubber, is considered a delicacy, and the bones are used for tools and art.[6] The skin is an important source of vitamin C which is otherwise difficult to obtain. In some places in Greenland, such as Qaanaaq, traditional hunting methods are used, and whales are harpooned from handmade kayaks. In other parts of Greenland and Northern Canada, high-speed boats and hunting rifles are used.[6] Narwhal have been found to be one of the most vulnerable arctic marine mammals to climate change. Narwhals that have been brought into captivity tend to die of unnatural causes.[18] In Inuit legend, the narwhal’s tusk was created when a woman with a harpoon rope tied around her waist was dragged into the ocean after the harpoon had struck a large narwhal. She was transformed into a narwhal herself, and her hair, which she was wearing in a twisted knot, became the characteristic spiral narwhal tusk.[19] Image of narwhal from Brehms TierlebenSome medieval Europeans believed narwhal tusks to be the horns from the legendary unicorn.[20] As these horns were considered to have magic powers, such as the ability to cure poison and melancholia, Vikings and other northern traders were able to sell them for many times their weight in gold. The tusks were used to make cups that were thought to negate any poison that may have been slipped into the drink. During the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth received a carved and bejeweled narwhal tusk for £10,000—the cost of a castle (approximately £1.5—2.5 Million in 2007, using the retail price index).[21] ~~~~~~ Please pass this song around to friends and favorite musicians. Musicians:: Arrange, record and remix a better version of this song. I may be able to share the copyright for your work. |
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