nubbsgalore: photos by paul nicklen, who explains, “i have been traveling to norther
nubbsgalore:photos by paul nicklen, who explains, “i have been traveling to northern baffin island for more than twelve years to try and get one underwater picture of a male narwhal. narwhals are very shy. they have a sensitive nature and excellent echolocation. you can see hundreds passing by the ice edge, but when you slip into the water, you may never see one.”“but late one afternoon, i had been in the waterfor a couple of hours, and i was freezing so badly that my legs and arms were cramping up. i couldn’t feel my lips around my snorkel, so i just stared into the black 2,000 foot abyss trying not to think about how cold i was.“then, out of the corner of my eye, i noticed something bright traveling through the murky water. i turned my head, and there they were: several male narwhals, swimming in beautiful formation. as i put my frozen finger on the shutter and …the narwhal closest to me let out a stream of bubbles. (seen in the middle photo).“ studying these rare, reclusive animals is difficult, with much still unknown about them. but we do know that the narwhal tusk is actually a single tooth and not, as with an elephant, a tusk. it is believed the tooth is the result of sexual selection, though new researchers shows that it acts as a sensory receptor, gauging water temperature, pressure and salinity. -- source link
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