“That puzzled us quite a bit.” Scientists found another astonishing thing about narwhals after X-raying their tusks - BBC Wildlife Magazine
Researchers have identified the biological mechanism behind the unique, left-handed helical structure of narwhal tusks. The study reveals that the tusk is a complex composite material, similar to human teeth, that grows in a specific spiral pattern.
Why it matters
Understanding the biological development of unique animal features contributes to broader knowledge of evolutionary biology and material science.
An international team of researchers has solved the mystery of how narwhal tusks acquire their twisted structure. The findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications.
Narwhals are often called the ‘unicorns of the seas’, and not without reason. Back in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the narwhal tusk was often sold as a unicorn horn. The mythical unicorn was so revered that the Danish-Norwegian king Frederik III famously ordered a coronation chair made entirely from narwhal tusks as a sign of his power and social status.
Despite extensive research, we still don’t know what exactly the narwhal uses its tusk for . Scientists have many theories – sexual signalling, hunting, infighting or play.
But for now, scientists solved another mystery – how exactly does the tusk obtain its characteristic twisted structure?
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