Drone footage obtained by FAU’s Greg O’Corry-Crowe and other researchers has provided the first evidence of narwhals using their tusks in the wild to manipulate prey fish, including stunning and possibly killing them. Previously, limited field observations have meant that little is known about the behavior of these elusive Arctic whales.
The study also reveals possible evidence of play, social learning, social instruction, and even personality differences among narwhals. “Our observations provide clear evidence of narwhals chasing fish and using their tusks to interact directly with the fish and to influence the fish’s behavior,” says O’Corry-Crowe. “Some of the interactions we saw appeared competitive in nature with one whale blocking or trying to block another whale’s access to the same target fish, while others may have been more subtle, possibly communicative and even affiliative.”
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