With the help of a group of Inuit hunters, a team of geophysicists recorded the various calls, buzzes, clicks and whistles of narwhals (Monodon monoceros) , sometimes referred to as a sea unicorn because of the characteristic horn of the males, as they beached in a fjord of Greenland The recordings help scientists better understand the soundscape of the Arctic glacial fjords and provide valuable insight into the behavior of these shy and mysterious creatures .
Narwhals are difficult to study because they are incredibly shy and skittish and spend most of their time deep in the icy Arctic Ocean. Glacier fronts can be dangerous and difficult to access, and animals tend to wander away when approaching in motorized boats. But Inuit hunters are familiar with these cetaceans and can approach the animals without disturbing them. So in July 2019, researchers accompanied several Inuit whaling expeditions in northwestern Greenland to study narwhals in more detail.
Using underwater microphones attached to small boats, the experts captured narwhal social calls and foraging sounds, coming within 25 meters of the elusive cetaceans.
The recordings help researchers provide a baseline of the types of sounds that permeate the pristine habitat of narwhals. They captured various types of sounds made by narwhals, including social calls or whistles, and clicks used for echolocation , the biological sonar used by dolphins, bats, some whales, and other animals to navigate and find food.
The closer narwhals get to their food, the faster they click, until the noise turns into a chainsaw-like buzz. This terminal buzz helps narwhals identify the location of their prey. It is fascinating. Below you have the video with the particular sounds of the sea unicorn.
Referencia: Evgeny A. Podolskiy et al, Soundscape of a Narwhal Summering Ground in a Glacier Fjord (Inglefield Bredning, Greenland), Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans (2020). DOI: 10.1029/2020JC016116
