The narwhal is easily recognizable due to its long-spiraled “unicorn horn.” Well it turns out that the horn is not a horn at all, but an enlarged ivory tooth. Males have two of these teeth, one that is only a foot long and embedded in the skull, and a second that can grow up to ten feet long and weigh 22 pounds.

Narwhals are social animals that typically travel in pods of 10-100, but on occasion, groups will congregate to form “super pods” of hundreds or even thousands of individuals. These meetings usually happen during the summer months when the whales migrate closer to shore in the shallower, ice-free waters.

Narwhals are carnivores that feed on halibut, cod, squid, shrimp and other deep-sea fish that are often very difficult to reach. Luckily, narwhals are one of the best divers in the world, with the ability to dive up to 1,500 meters deep and hold their breaths for as long as 25 minutes. Equally interesting is their method for catching prey. Similar to species of beaked whales, narwhals feed by sucking prey into their mouths using a great deal of force like a vacuum.