I've heard that narwals can grow their tusks up to 16 ft long. What do they need the tusk for? Hunting? Comunication?
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1$\begingroup$ Probably for male mate competition, but nobody knows really. $\endgroup$– JamesFeb 21, 2015 at 16:59
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The evidence shows that the tusk is innervated, and acts as a sensory organ to the outside environment, as well as a mating tool.
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$\begingroup$ Nice finding, this paper will help a lot I guess! If it is an sensor organ, I'd be curious to hear more about why it is present only in males. Would be great if someone could make a short summary of the different hypotheses of how this organ evolved. In the abstract of the paper you linked, they also say
New findings of sexual foraging divergence [..] add to the discussion of the functional significance of the narwhal tusk.So, it seems that this organ may also eventually be involved in foraging behaviour. $\endgroup$– Remi.bFeb 22, 2015 at 2:53