The narwhal, often called the “unicorn of the sea,” is a species of toothed whale native exclusively to the frigid waters of the Arctic. Males are instantly recognizable by the long, spiraled tusk projecting from their head, which is actually an enlarged left canine tooth. This appendage can grow up to 10 feet in length. Narwhals spend their lives in the remote, ice-covered regions of the Arctic Ocean, primarily around Canada, Greenland, and Russia.
Status of Narwhals in Human Care
Currently, no narwhals are held in captivity anywhere in the world, a status tied to a history of failed attempts to keep them alive. The most notable efforts occurred in the late 1960s and early 1970s, ending in tragedy for the captured animals. In 1969, the New York Aquarium acquired an orphaned calf named Umiak, which died of pneumonia less than a year after its arrival.
The Vancouver Aquarium made another attempt in 1970, acquiring a young male named Keela Laguk. Within a month, the facility added two female narwhals and three calves to the tank. All five accompanying narwhals died by November, and Keela Laguk died shortly before Christmas.
The consistent pattern of rapid deterioration and death, often within weeks or months of capture, led to the consensus that narwhals cannot survive in an artificial environment. The difficulty and ethical concerns surrounding these early captures resulted in a cessation of all further efforts to house the species in aquariums.
Specialized Dietary and Social Needs
The narwhal’s specialized biology makes it sensitive to the stresses of capture and containment. They rely on a deep-sea diet challenging to replicate, consisting primarily of Greenland halibut, Arctic cod, and Gonatus squid. These prey species are consumed during long, deep dives; when confined, the whales often refuse food or starve.
The animals are reactive to handling and acoustic disturbance, which can trigger a severe physiological reaction. The stress of capture and transport often leads to fatal shock, known as capture myopathy. The narwhal’s tusk contains millions of nerve endings, suggesting a sensory sensitivity easily overwhelmed by the limited, noisy confines of a tank.
Narwhals possess complex social structures, traveling in pods that can range from a few individuals to hundreds during migration. Their natural life involves vast seasonal movements, which cannot be accommodated by a fixed habitat. The inability to reproduce their natural migratory and social behaviors contributes to the failure of their immune systems and overall health in human care.
Environmental Extremes of the Arctic Home
The narwhal is adapted to one of the planet’s most extreme marine environments, creating physical requirements that no existing aquarium can satisfy. They are exceptional divers, regularly plunging to depths greater than 1,500 meters to forage near the seafloor, making them one of the deepest-diving cetaceans.
Replicating the immense pressure changes and the sheer volume of water required for such dives is impossible within a captive structure. Their physiology is dependent on near-freezing water temperatures year-round, with narwhals preferring a narrow range between 0.6°C and 1.7°C.
Maintaining the vast quantities of water necessary at these Arctic temperatures is prohibitively expensive and difficult to sustain. The narwhal’s natural habitat is characterized by pristine, expansive Arctic waters, which contrasts sharply with the recirculated water and limited space of an artificial system.