Narwhals have fascinated and confounded humans for centuries. The Peabody Essex Museum is diving into the mystery, history ...

Since he was a child, Martin Nweeia, DMD (DEN ’84), has been fascinated with teeth—from the human variety to the 9-foot spear-shaped tusk that grows out of the head of the narwhal, an Arctic whale.

2. A narwhal’s tusk is actually a tooth. The narwhal’s scientific name, Monodon monoceros, refers to their singular characteristic and means “one tooth, one horn.” The narwhal’s tusk ...

Narwhals, Monodon monoceros, are toothed whales that live mostly in Arctic coastal waters and inlets. Male and female narwhals only have two teeth, which are both in the upper jaw. The male’s iconic, ...

Unlike our own teeth, the narwhal tusk is soft on the outside and gradually gets hard and dense on the inside. It’s thought that narwhals could be the origin of the unicorn myth. The great ...