Narwhal Tusk Research

The Narwhal Tusk Research project was initiated in 2000 in search of answers to one of nature's most intriguing mysteries: the purpose of the narwhal tusk. Research efforts combine leading investigators in the fields of marine mammal science, dental medicine, engineering, mathematics, evolutionary biology, genetics, anatomy, and histology with the traditional knowledge of Inuit elders and hunters to investigate the narwhal tusk and its functions.

Lead		Martin Nweeia, DMD, DDS
Organization		Harvard University
Country		United States
Geographic Coverage		Greenland and Canada
Communities		Inuit and Inughuit
Related Organizations	Marine Mammal Program, Smithsonian Institution Paffenbarger Research Center, National Institute of Standards and Technology Hauschka Bone Laboratory, Enders Research Facility, Children's Hospital Boston The Laboratory for Innovative Translational Technologies, Harvard School of Dental Medicine Biocore Structure Laboratory, Forsyth Dental Institute Optimal CAE, Inc. Engineering Metrology Group Astro-Med, Grass Technology Nunavut Research Institute Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology Department of Mammals, Transvaal Museum, South Africa Canadian Museum of Nature Zoological Museum of Copenhagen Johns Hopkins, School of Art as Applied to Medicine The National Institutes of Health, Imaging Center The National Geographic Society Nunavut Wildlife Management Board Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute SeaWorld, San Diego Arctic Research Division, Fisheries and Oceans, Canada Explorers Club, World Center for Exploration Graduate Studies in Evolutionary Biology, San Jose State University Webb Research American Museum of Natural History Arctic Studies Center, Smithsonian Institution
Web site		Narwhal Tusk Discoveries

The highly social narwhal surface in tidal pools near the edge of Baffin Bay during the spring mating season. Photo credit: © Glenn Williams, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). High-resolution image

Culture & Community

Learn about the Inughuit people of Greenland, one of many Arctic groups connected to the narwhal. Image credit: First Nations Seeker

Related Organizations

Visit the Nunavut Research Institute for information on traditional knowledge, technology, science, and research currently underway in Nunavut, Canada.