Subject: Narwhal
Dagmar Fertl (Dagmar_Fertl@mms.gov)
Thu, 12 Feb 1998 13:22:15 -0500
Hi, Jenny. You might want to look thru the WhaleNet archives for a
narwhal question/answer that relates somewhat to your own.
The most important factor driving distribution of the narwhal may be
fluctuations in the distribution of sea ices. In colder periods,
narwhal may be seen off southern Greenland, but in warmer periods it
is assumed that they stay in the northern regions or go westwards at a
higher latitude and cross the Davis Straight north of Holsteinborg or
at Disko. The southerly migrating narwhals are thought to follow the
Canadian current. During periods when the West Greenland current
advances further north than usual, the narwhals seem to stay at a
higher latitude for a longer period during autumn and winter. {you
might need a grownup to help you with this and a map?}
The estimates for narwhal populations are based on each population.
The well known population in Davis Strait-Baffin Bay was estimated in
1980 at 22,500 to 32,500. I know that the estimate is old, I
apologize for not being able to quickly locate more recent
information. This was published in the IUCN Red Data Book: Dolphins,
Porpoises, and Whales of the World by Margaret Klinowska in 1991.
I also apologize for taking some long to write back. I was very sick
at home for five days.
Good luck with the report!
Dagmar
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Narwhal
Author: "Howell Insurance" <howell_ins@email.msn.com> at ~smtp
Date: 2/7/98 6:10 PM
My name is Jenny Howell . I am a fourth grader at Lindsey Elementary in
Chesterland, Ohio. I am doing a report on the Narwhal, but I haven't been
able to find much information on the www. Can you tell me what the current
population of the narwhal is ? I would also like to find out its migration
patterns. Do you have any suggestions on where I can find this. Thank you
very much!