Is that your tusk or are you just happy to see me?
Narwhals are mystical, elusive Arctic creatures.
They have two teeth. For males, one takes the form of an ivory tusk that comes out of his upper lip. Tusks can grow to be over eight feet long! (Ladies also grow tusks, but they're smaller in size.) That makes them about as long as a school bus.
Via giphy.com
New research shows male tusks can be indicators of their testicle size and fertility.
Scientists haven't been able to do much research about their mating habits, leading to a lot of speculation about what those tusks are for, exactly. But a new study published in Marine Mammal Science found male tusks can be linked to the size of their testes — an indicator of fertility.
Via giphy.com
The bigger the tusk, the larger the testes. That means that like peacocks, narwhals might rely on their appearance to attract a mate.
"Laaaaaaaaaadiiiiiiieeeeees." -this narwhal
Hemera Andreas Meyer / Getty Images / Thinkstock
So the next time you hear a narwhal ask if you know what a big tusk means...
...yes, we get it, Carl. You have big testicles. God.
National Geographic / Via giphy.com
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Created by Peter
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