Narwhals: Sea-Unicorns With Horns Full of “Nerve-Rich Pulp”

From Wired:

For centuries, the purpose of a narwhal’s tusk has eluded explanation. Now, researchers suggest that these small whales use their tusks as sensory organs and speculate that sensing changes in seawater salinity might help male narwhals stay safe, and locate fish or females.

Fish or females, eh? [Refrains from terrible joke, keeps reading]

Turns out, narwhal tusks are filled with a nerve-rich pulp that’s similar to the stuff in human teeth that can sometimes make drinking coffee or eating ice cream a painful experience.

But then it feels really good. The thing is:

“It takes a tremendous amount of energy and devotion to get that thing to grow,” Nweeia says.

That’s not what your mom said last night! AYO