#0530 · 🦊 mammals
Narwhal
🇳🇱 Narwal ·Monodon monoceros
7 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © пресс-служба ПАО "Газпром нефть" · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2. © пресс-служба ПАО "Газпром нефть" · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 3. © пресс-служба ПАО "Газпром нефть" · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 4. © pfaucher · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 5. © Kelly Koller · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 6. © Stephen Petersen · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 7. © пресс-служба ПАО "Газпром нефть" · CC BY-SA 4.0
what is it?
The narwhal , or narwhale ( Monodon monoceros ), is a medium-sized toothed whale that possesses a large "tusk" from a protruding canine tooth. It lives year-round in the Arctic waters around Greenland, Canada, and Russia. It is one of two living species of whale in the Monodontidae family, along with the beluga whale. The narwhal males are distinguished by a long, straight, helical tusk, which is an elongated upper left canine. The narwhal was one of many species...
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
- 130 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Weighs up to about 80 kg.
- Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- Narwhal
- Nederlands
- Narwal
- scientific name
- Monodon monoceros
- class
- Mammalia
- order
- Artiodactyla
- family
- Monodontidae
- IUCN Red List
- LC · least concern
- sightings in NL
- 0
- sightings worldwide
- 130
- GBIF records in NL
- 7
- weight
- 80 kg
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1758
IUCN in Dutch: niet bedreigd. Blank means the sources don't say.
relatives· Monodontidae
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 41459, Wikidata Q159426, GBIF 5220008, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.