NARWHALS

NARWHALS

B Y A N N I E C . H O L D R E N

A M I C U S • A M I C U S I N K
 What are you
CHAPTER TWO

A Narwhal’s Home
PA G E

12

CHAPTER ONE

Narwhal Tusks
PA G E

4
curious about?
Curious About is published
by Amicus and Amicus Ink
P.O. Box 227
Mankato, MN 56002
www.amicuspublishing.us

Copyright © 2023 Amicus.

International copyright reserved in all countries.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any
form without written permission from the publisher.

Designer: Aubrey Harper

Photo researcher: Bridget Prehn
Editor: Alissa Thielges
Series designer: Kathleen Petelinsek

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Holdren, Annie C. (Annie Cody), author.
Title: Curious about narwhals / Annie C. Holdren.
Description: Mankato : Amicus, [2023] | Series: Curious
about wild animals | Includes bibliographical references
CHAPTER THREE and index. | Audience: Ages 6–9 | Audience: Grades
2–3 Identifiers: LCCN 2019056826 (print) | LCCN
2019056827 (ebook) | ISBN 9781645491347 (library
binding) | ISBN 9781681527017 (paperback) | ISBN

Life as a Narwhal 9781645491767 (pdf) Subjects: LCSH: Narwhal—

Juvenile literature Classification: LCC QL737.C433
PA G E H65 2023 (print) | LCC QL737.C433 (ebook) | DDC
599.5/43—dc23 LC record available at

16
https://lccn.loc.gov/2019056826
LC ebook record available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/2019056827

Photos © NatGeo/Paul Nicklen cover, 2 (right), 4–5,

5 (tusk), 13, 14–15; iStock/dottedhippo 1, 2 (left), 6,
8–9, 19 (narwhal); Alamy/All Canada Photos 3, 16;
freepix.com/George Hodan 5 (hand); Pixabay/Nici Keil
7 (warthog); iStock/leungchopan 7 (babirusa); Flickr/
Gary Bembridge/Tips For Travellers 7 (walrus); Pixabay/
remo-puls 7 (hippo); Shutterstock Talvi 7 (elephant);
Image Quest Marine/Doug Allan/BluePlanetArchive.com
Stay Curious! Learn More . . 22 10–11; Vecteezy 12; NatGeo/FLIP NICKLIN 17, 20;
Shutterstock/NataLima 19 (flounder); Clipart 19 (cod);
iStock/111chemodan111 19 (rockfish); Shutterstock/
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oleg7799 19, 23 (squid); 123rf/Andrey Chaikin 19
(shrimp); Vecteezy 19, 22 (crab); iStock/jacklooser 21,
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 22, 23 (narwhal)
 CHAPTER ONE

Are narwhals related

to unicorns?
T U S K S
N A R W H A L

4
No. Unicorns are not real. Lucky for us, narwhals
are! They are called the “unicorns of the sea.”
They are whales. Long ago, people thought they
had a unicorn horn. It was really a narwhal tusk.

A narhwal
tusk has
10 million
nerves. A human
hand has
100,000
nerves.
5
 What is a
narwhal’s tusk
made out of?
T U S K S

The tusk is
N A R W H A L

long and
bendy.

Ivory. It is an extra-long tooth! The tusk can reach

over 10 feet (3 m) long. It grows through the top
lip. As it grows, it twists to the left. The tusk isn’t
hard. The outside is soft and full of nerves. It can
bend about 1 foot (0.3 m).

6
WARTHOG

T U S K S
BABIRUSA

W I T H
Neptune

A N I M A L S
WALRUS

O T H E R
HIPPO

ELEPHANT

7
T U S K S
N A R W H A L

What is the tusk

used for?
8
 A long tusk may
attract a female.

It can sense things. The nerves get information about

the ocean. How cold is it? How much salt is in the
water? This helps the whales know when the water
could freeze to ice. Narwhals also touch and rub
tusks. Are they fighting? No. They may be greeting
each other. They could also be showing off.
9
T U S K S
N A R W H A L

Does every narwhal

have a tusk?
10
 Most females don’t have tusks.

No. Most males do. Some even grow two.

Nobody knows why, but it is rare. Sometimes a
female will grow a tusk. It doesn’t get as long.
Baby narwhals are born with two teeth. One tooth
grows into a tusk. It is usually the left one. The
other tooth falls out.
11
 CHAPTER TWO

Where do
narwhals live?
H O M E

In the Arctic Ocean. In the winter, narwhals swim

under thick sea ice. They come up to breathe
through the cracks. In the summer, they move to
N A R W H A L ’ S

shallow water. It is still very cold, but there is less

ice. Babies are born there.
A

Narwhal Range

12
 Narwhals live
far north in the
Arctic Ocean.

13
H O M E

Do narwhals
swim together?
N A R W H A L ’ S
A

14
 A pod gathers in ice holes to breathe.

Yes. They swim in groups of about 20. The

groups are called pods. Sometimes pods will
join up. They travel together. When swimming to
summer seas, many pods swim together. There are
hundreds of narwhals.

15
 CHAPTER THREE

How do narwhals
stay warm?
N A R W H A L

Narwhals swim
in waters with
icebergs.
A
A S
L I F E

Almost half of its body is fat! The fat is called

blubber. It wraps around the body under the skin. It
acts like a warm blanket. The narwhal doesn’t lose
its body heat in the icy water.

16
 A pod swims in
deep, cold water.

17
 How do
N A R W H A L

narwhals eat?
They suck up food like a vacuum. Fish, shrimp,
and small squid are all on the menu. Narwhals
A

don’t have teeth. They just have a tusk. Sometimes

A S

they use it to tap the prey. Tap, tap. This stuns the
L I F E

food. Then—whoosh! The meal is swallowed

whole. No chewing needed.

18
Narwhals can
dive over 1
mile (1.6 km)
into the ocean
to find food.

Green halibut

Arctic cod

Rockfish

Squid

Shrimp Crab

19
 How long do
narwhals live?
N A R W H A L

A baby calf swims

with its mother.
A
A S
L I F E

20
Scientists are not sure. They think about 40 years. It
is hard to study narwhals. The icy water is dark. But
they can study dead narwhals. They look for signs
of age. One narwhal may have lived for 90 years.
That’s a long life!

Baby: blue-gray

Adult: mottled gray

Young: blue-black

Old: nearly white

21
 S T A Y C U R I O U S !

ASK SEARCH
MORE FOR
QUESTIONS ANSWERS
How are narwhal Search the library
babies born? catalog or the Internet.
A librarian, teacher, or parent
can help you.

How are narwhals related Using Keywords

to other whales? Find the looking glass.

Keywords are the

Try a BIG QUESTION: most important words
How do narwhals fit in your question.
in an ocean food
web?
?
If you want to know about:
• narwhal babies, type:
NARWHAL CALVES
• what whales are related to
narwhals, type: NARWHAL
WHALE RELATIVES

22
 L E A R N M O R E

FIND SHARE
GOOD AND TAKE
SOURCES ACTION
Here are some good, Color in a map to show
safe sources you can use where narwhals live.
in your research.
Your librarian can help you find more.

Books Make your

Discovering Whales, Dolphins, own narwhal tusk.
and Porpoises by Kelly Gauthier, 2020.
Show your friends where the tusk
Narwhals grows and how narwhals use it.
by Jessie Alkire, 2019.

Internet Sites
Nat Geo Kids | Narwhals
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/ Climate change is
mammals/narwhal melting the Arctic,
National Geographic is a respected news
organization. It reports on nature and animals. where narwhals live.
Help save the narwhals’
Ocean Conservancy | Wildlife home. Walk or bike to where
Fact Sheets: Narwhal
https://oceanconservancy.org/wildlife-
you are going. Or travel in
factsheet/narwhal a carpool, train, or bus.
The Ocean Conservancy works to protect
the oceans and animals that live in them.
Every effort has been made to ensure that these
websites are appropriate for children. However,
because of the nature of the Internet, it is impossible
to guarantee that these sites will remain active
indefinitely or that their contents will not be altered.

23
 G L O S S A RY I N D E X

blubber The fat on some Arctic Ocean 12

animals that live in cold ocean babies 11, 12, 21
water. blubber 16
female The sex of a person breathing 12, 19
or animal that can give birth colors 21
to young. food 18, 19
male The sex of a person or ivory 6
animal that can father young. life span 20, 21
nerves 5, 6, 9
nerve A long, thin, thread-like
pods 15
body part that carries messages
sensing 9
to and from the brain about
senses and motion. teeth 6, 11, 18
traveling 12, 15
pod A group of narwhals or tusk length 5, 6, 7, 8–9,
other whales or dolphins.
10–11, 18
prey An animal that is hunted unicorns 4, 5
by another animal.
tusk A long, large tooth that About the Author
sticks out of an animal’s mouth.
Annie C. Holdren lives on
California’s Central Coast.
She enjoys exploring above
and below the water, where
she observes wild ocean
animals--large and small.

24
 WILD
ANIMALS
What are you curious about?

www.amicuspublishing.us
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ISBN: 978-1-64549-134-7

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