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The narwhal was scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 Systema Naturae. [5] The word "narwhal" comes from the Old Norse nárhval, meaning 'corpse-whale', which possibly refers to the animal's grey, mottled skin [6] [7] and its habit of remaining motionless when at the water's surface, a behaviour known as "logging" that usually happens in the summer. [6]
Whales are fully aquatic, open-ocean animals: they can feed, mate, give birth, suckle and raise their young at sea. Whales range in size from the 2.6 metres (8.5 ft) and 135 kilograms (298 lb) dwarf sperm whale to the 29.9 metres (98 ft) and 190 tonnes (210 short tons) blue whale, which is the largest known animal that has ever lived.
They weigh 45 to 75 kg (99 to 165 lb) at birth and are able to swim. The mothers nurse for over a year before weaning, but the young can spend up to five years with the mothers. [ 30 ] Walrus milk contains higher amounts of fats and protein compared to land animals but lower compared to phocid seals . [ 36 ]
Monodontids have a wide-ranging carnivorous diet, feeding on fish, molluscs, and small crustaceans. They have reduced teeth, with the beluga having numerous simple teeth, and the narwhal having only two teeth, one of which forms the tusks in males. Gestation lasts 14–15 months in both species, and almost always results in a single calf.
The beluga whale ( / bɪˈluːɡə /; [ 4] Delphinapterus leucas) is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus Delphinapterus. It is also known as the white whale, as it is the only cetacean to regularly occur with this colour; the sea canary ...
Cetacea. Cetacea ( / sɪˈteɪʃə /; from Latin cetus ' whale ', from Ancient Greek κῆτος ( kêtos) ' huge fish, sea monster ') [ 3] is an infraorder of aquatic mammals belonging to the order Artiodactyla that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often ...
Delphinoidea. Family: Monodontidae. Hybrid: Delphinapterus leucas × Monodon monoceros. A narluga ( portmanteau of narwhal and beluga) is a hybrid born from mating a female narwhal and a male beluga whale. [ 1] Narwhals and beluga whales are both cetaceans found in the High Arctic and are the only two living members of the family Monodontidae.
The mammalian female reproductive system contains three main divisions: the vagina and uterus, which act as the receptacle for the sperm, the ovaries, which produce the female's ova, and the vulva, which mainly consists of the labia and clitoris. The vagina, uterus and ovaries are always internal while the vulva is external.