Skip to main content

A drone proves it, narwhals hunt with their tusk

Scientists have believed that the narwhal’s tusk was mainly for sexual selection, however, new drone footage shows that the tusk may be a multi-purpose tool for the unicorns of the ocean. The drone aerial video confirms scientific theories and traditional Inuit knowledge, but at the same time, it raises new questions.

This first-of-its-kind drone footage was captured by Canadian scientists from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the University of Windsor, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada, the Vancouver Aquarium and Arctic Bear Productions in collaboration with the community of Pond Inlet.

The video is fascinating and exciting to watch according to David Miller, president and CEO of WWF Canada but it has important implications for the preservation of narwhals and other Arctic species.

“As the Arctic warms and development pressure increases, it will be important to understand how narwhal are using their habitat during their annual migration,” he said in Discover Magazine. “With this information in hand, we can work to minimize the effects of human activities on narwhal.”

This is another great example of how drones can be of great value in wildlife research and conservation.

Gallery and video

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading DroneDJ — experts who break news about DJI and the wider drone ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow DroneDJ on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Comments

Author

Avatar for Haye Kesteloo Haye Kesteloo

Haye Kesteloo is the Editor in Chief and Main Writer at DroneDJ, where he covers all drone related news and writes product reviews. He also contributes to the other sites in the 9to5Mac group such as; 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, 9to5Toys and Electrek. Haye can be reached at haye@dronedj.com or @hayekesteloo