Greg Okori-Crow
Appearances
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Rare Narwhal Footage Shows New Tusk Activities
So I think in many ways we've sort of converged on that as the primary use, but it looks now like it has other uses. The narwhal tusk may be more like a Swiss army knife.
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Rare Narwhal Footage Shows New Tusk Activities
Females were nursing calves. Males were hanging out in these sort of bachelor herds.
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Rare Narwhal Footage Shows New Tusk Activities
They don't seem to be pushing and shoving each other with their tusks. It's almost like, you know, don't touch, don't touch the tusk.
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Rare Narwhal Footage Shows New Tusk Activities
They seem to be able to use their tusks to interrogate, manipulate incredible precision, small objects. So the dexterity and use of the tusk was really striking.
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Rare Narwhal Footage Shows New Tusk Activities
And as they were doing it, they were also socializing. So there seemed to be elements of social learning and possibly even social instruction. Larger animal helping a younger animal to explore its environment.
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Rare Narwhal Footage Shows New Tusk Activities
It almost seems like it was the strongest proof that unicorns really did exist.
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Rare Narwhal Footage Shows New Tusk Activities
I've been involved in some satellite tagging of live narwhals, obviously. And it is quite an overwhelming experience to stand there in the water and help hold a live narwhal and sort of feel the tusk.
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Rare Narwhal Footage Shows New Tusk Activities
It almost looks like it has been fashioned and carved. It has a lovely spiral, scrolled pattern to it. So it's mesmerizing, really, in some ways.