Why are narwhals so elusive?

The narwhal is sometimes known as the "Arctic unicorn," because of the long unicorn-like tusk that differentiates this species from other whales in its family. What narwhals use their tusks for is but one of the mysteries that still surrounds this creature. Because narwhals are so elusive, they're extremely hard to study. Researchers aren't even sure how many of them exist in the world today.

A Tough Study

While the narwhals may just be playing hard-to-get with us in an attempt to maintain that magical mystery, there are a few reasons they might be hard for scientists to study. For one, narwhals are one of the deepest-diving creatures in the ocean, descending about a mile below the surface in certain seasons. And though the depth of the dive is no picnic, the waters aren't exactly the temperature that inspires anyone to follow them down: Narwhals live in some of the coldest water, such as the Chukchi Sea between Alaska and Siberia, and Baffin Bay near Greenland.

Narwhals may maintain their secret locations to avoid the dangers presented by their predators, which include man and killer whales. Inuit hunters have traditionally pursued the narwhal for its tusk and skin. Orca whales, along with predators such as polar bears and walruses, would love to make that elusive narwhal a meal. With man and the killer whale as their two most feared enemies, it does make sense that narwhals are a bit shy.

A Great Migration for Beast and Man

This retiring nature only makes the footage captured for Discovery Channel's Nature's Most Amazing Events even more impressive. Every year, narwhals make a northward migration to the Arctic to hunt for cod, squid and other fishy delights. Their path is never the same, for the ice melts in different ways each year, forming passageways that may still prove dangerous to the narwhals should they freeze over. Though narwhals are known for their deep dives, they still need air to breathe, and the icy journey may trap them under the surface with no oxygen. Filmmakers trying to capture the migration faced the same threat.

The film crews had to scan an icy area the size of Scotland to find the migrating narwhals. Though a hydrophone allowed filmmakers to eavesdrop on the whales to determine if they were nearby, it still took a month to track down the narwhals. Because the ice was melting so rapidly, aerial crews were called in to film the narwhals; their success represents the first aerial footage of the event. That unique look at this mysterious animal, which seems to belong more in the pages of a children's book than in our own oceans, is a rare insight into these magical creatures.

When you consider that climate change threatens the icy landscape of the narwhals' feeding grounds, you might find this footage even more breathtaking. Hopefully the narwhal won't pull the ultimate disappearing act in the face of the changes in the Arctic.