Unicorns of the sea have a dirty little secret

Scientists have discovered that the beluga whale and the narwhal used to be friends…with incredible benefits!  That’s right, hybrid vigor has been hiding in the Arctic all this time. An odd looking skull that was discovered by a hunter in 1990 has been confirmed to be a true hybrid between the two species.  

Belugas are known as one of the most gregarious cetaceans.  They can be truly obnoxious!  But, they are quite outgoing with huge personalities while narwhals are definitely more mysterious.  Narwhals are the beloved “unicorns of the sea.”  Talk about benefits - that lucky beluga got to tell all the fellas in the locker room that his prom date was a real, live UNICORN!  

The scientists also figured out that the parents of this hybrid was a female narwhal and a male beluga.  As we all know, female narwhals do not sport the characteristic over-grown horizontal canine tooth that the males do, but, they are the same species, ergo - unicorn!  So, that friendly and outgoing beluga got the unicorn…hmmm…perhaps nice guys don’t finish last?

Read more by clicking on the link below:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-44038-0