Scientists from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, have discovered a nursery of narwhals, some of the world's most elusive whales, by examining aerial photographs, according to New Scientist. These single-tusked whales that originate in the Arctic have been called the "unicorns of the sea" by many and are considered to be "near-threatened." Despite this status, conservation efforts are difficult due to the fact that estimating their numbers is very hard due to their elusive nature — they spend 80 percent of their time underwater and, for more than half the year, they reside in deep, offshore waters during Arctic winters.
The current spotting of narwhals stems from their summer move to coastal inlets, where they give birth and, in turn, give scientists a chance to spot and count them. Using 2013 aerial photographs taken by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), scientist Bertrand Charry and his team counted approximately 35,000 narwhals in the Admiralty Inlet, although to his surprise, less than 0.05 percent were newborns. Conversely, of the 10,000 narwhals they counted in Eclipse Sound, approximately 5 percent of the group were newborns, suggesting the Eclipse Sound may be an important calving and nursery habitat for the species.
Despite this importance, Eclipse Sound is located on the shipping route of a recent Baffinland iron-ore mine, which could have negative effects on the nursery.
This could be a problem because, like all whales, "narwhals are a sound-centered species," said Valeria Vergara, who researches marine mammals at Vancouver Aquarium. "Mothers and calves are a critical sector of the population, and shipping noise could affect the ability of mothers to hear their calves."
In addition to human actions, the narwhals face increased predator activity in the Arctic due to the melting of ice blockades, causing an expansion of killer whales into the Hudson Bay and making narwhals easier prey, according to Science News.
