22nd April Narwhal Appreciation Day

We missed it! At school yesterday I was collecting together the books we have on narwhals for a display next term. This was initiated by my purchase of the lovely new Nature Storybook Narwhal: The Arctic Unicorn by Justin Anderson with illustrations by Jo Weaver.  Then today I thought i'd investigate whether there was a day for their celebration and there is, 22nd April. If I write about it now I will remember it for next year.

What are narwhals?

The narwhal, Monodon monoceros is unique amongst whales by having a specially adapted canine tooth protruding from its head. Normally only the male narwhal will grow a tusk. It is really the only tooth it will possess. It is a sort of inside out tooth, covered in nerve endings and softer on the outside and hard towards the centre.

The narwhal population is estimated to be in the region of 170,000 animals which live in the Arctic seas bordering the North Atlantic. Today, like all Arctic animals it is under threat from climate change and also to inbreeding and its low genetic diversity.

Are they related to unicorns?

The narwhal looks like a cross between a whale and a unicorn with its long, spiralled tusk jutting from its head. There are many legends about the tusk of the narwhal – it is essentially the origin of the myth of the unicorn as European whalers that were in the Arctic would catch narwhals and bring tusks back to Europe with great stories about what kind of animals the tusks were attached to. But in terms of the biology of the animal, the tusk is actually used for social structure, to establish dominance hierarchies and ranks of males within narwhal pods.

Not very much is known about narwhals, largely because they are difficult to study: They live in remote places, far from civilisations, in a habitat that is dark for half the year, covered in ice for half the year, and not easy to access. We do know that narwhals have adapted to be one of the deepest diving marine mammals, capable diving to depths of more than 1,800 metres  and able to spend a large amount of their time below 800 metres. Not many animals can sustain such intense pressures below the surface of the water and stay under the water for so long.

What is in the library?

* All the popular Narwhal and Jelly series up to Book 6 by Ben Clanton as well as the puppets. Book 7 is coming in October, Narwhalicorn and Jelly.

* Wendell the Narwhal by Emily Dove

* Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima

* Watch Out Little Narwhal by Jane Riordan and Richard Watson

* Starwhal by Matilda Rose and Tim Bugden

• Iced Out by C.K. Smouha and Isabella Bunnell

* Someday, Narwhal by Lisa Mantchev and Hyewon Yum

* Little Narwhal Not Alone by Tiffany Stone and Ashlyn Anstee

* Narwhals by Katie Woolley

* Narwhals Are Awesome  by Jaclyn Jaycox

3rd November Jellyfish Day

It is Jellyfish Day! This event is meant to honour our slightly slimy counterparts that can sometimes cause a bit of consternation at the beach.

It is celebrated in springtime, as this is the season when jellyfish will begin their migration to the shores of the northern hemisphere. Although an apparently very simple invertebrate they are beautiful creatures, that fascinate students and allow for some very creative artwork.

Did you know that a group of jellyfish can be called a bloom, a swarm, or a smack? Despite the word “fish” in their names, jellyfish are not actually fish. No bones about it, they are invertebrates! Besides their lack of bones, jellyfish also lack a brain. Instead, they have a network of nerves, but no central nervous system. When feeding, jellyfish use their tentacles to sting their prey – they eat plankton. But what eats a jellyfish? Many animals do, including tunas, sharks, turtles, and humans! 

I have written about this day before here, but today I was reading about them again and marvelling at them in these pictures that show very clearly that they are not all the same.

And, one of the most popular series in the library at the moment is about an unlikely friendship between a narwhal and a jellyfish, Ben Clanton's Narwhal and Jelly series. Books 1 to 3 are available and Book 4 will be here in February. Also I just bought a set of puppets so the students can make up their own Narwhal and Jelly conversations.