@alimaexpasa: "For centuries, narwhal tusks sold as 'unicorn horns' were worth more than gold in Europe. Queens and popes paid fortunes for them as supposed remedies against poison. The tusk is actually a left upper canine tooth that erupts through the upper lip and grows in a counterclockwise spiral — reaching up to 10 feet in adult males. For years scientists debated what it was for: jousting, ice breaking, display? In 2014, Harvard biologist Martin Nweeia made a discovery that changed the answer entirely. Unlike normal teeth covered in enamel, the narwhal tusk has no enamel — instead, its outer surface is covered in approximately 10 million tiny nerve endings that are directly exposed to seawater. The tusk is a massive sensory organ. It detects changes in temperature, salinity, pressure, and water particle gradients — functioning like an external sensor array on the whale's face. About 15% of females also grow a tusk. Occasionally a male grows two. 🐋 Follow @undiscoveredocean #Narwhal #WhaleFacts #OceanFacts #WhaleScience #UndiscoveredOcean"

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Sunday 28 June 2026 16:05:23 GMT