The narwhal is a peculiar member of the whale family. The common name narwhal literally means “corpse whale,” in reference to its pale body color, which shades from a light gray on the lower flanks and underside to a dark and dappled gray on its back. The animal’s most distinguishing characteristic—its 9-foot-long tusk, which is found only in males—is captured in its species name, Monodon monoceros, which means “one-toothed unicorn.”
Cetaceans are mammals that are specialized for aquatic enviornments. The order Cetacea consists of dolphins, whales and porpoises. Cetaceans were originally land mammals that began to live in the oceans where they evolved to adapt to their enviornment. The land animals that eventually evolved into Cetaceans but did not venture into the water latter developed into giraffes, llamas, and hippopotami
Narwhals were first discovered by a scientist named Tulpius while examining a strange specimen in the British Isles in 1648.