Narwhals: Arctic Whales in a Melting World

by Todd McLeish

Among all the large whales on Earth, the most unusual and least studied is the narwhal, the northernmost whale on the planet and the one most threatened by global warming. Narwhals thrive in the fjords and inlets of northern Canada and Greenland. These elusive whales, whose long tusks were the stuff of medieval European myths and Inuit legends, are uniquely adapted to the Arctic ecosystem and are able to dive below thick sheets of ice to depths of up to 1,500 meters in search of their prey-halibut, cod, and squid.

Join Todd McLeish as he travels high above the Arctic circle to

Teams of scientific researchers studying the narwhal's life cycle and the mysteries of its tusk

Inuit storytellers and hunters

Animals that share the narwhals' walruses, polar bears, bowhead and beluga whales, ivory gulls, and two kinds of seals

McLeish consults logbooks kept by whalers and explorers and interviews folklorists and historians to tease out the relationship between the real narwhal and the mythical unicorn. In Colorado, he visits climatologists studying changes in the seasonal cycles of the Arctic ice. From a history of the trade in narwhal tusks to descriptions of narwhals' vocalizations as heard through hydrophones, Narwhals reveals the beauty and thrill of the narwhal and its habitat, and the threat it faces from a rapidly changing world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Nature, Science, Biology, Natural History, History

216 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Rhode Island-based author Todd McLeish has been writing about wildlife and environmental issues for more than 20 years. While in college, he developed a passion for wildlife, natural history and environmental protection. Rather than pursue a biology degree, he chose to immerse himself in the natural world by volunteering to help biologists with their wildlife research and write about these experiences.

In more than 100 magazine and newspaper articles, he has examined such topics as the return of wild fishers to southern New England, the impact of gulls on offshore islands, and an effort to census dragonflies in Rhode Island. He has written dozens of essays about backyard wildlife, profiled biologists and wildlife artists, and highlighted numerous threatened species, from piping plovers and ruffed grouse to northern blazing star and American burying beetle. The forthcoming "Narwhals: Artic Whales in a Melting World" is Todd's third natural history book.

Todd is an expert birder, a popular leader of natural history walks, an in-demand public speaker about endangered species, and a former world joggling champion (juggling while jogging).

Reviews

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, de verdad no sabía nada de los narvales. Aunque a veces es un tanto pesada la lectura, sobre todo cuando se habla del trabajo científico particular de algunas personas, todos los hallazgos alrededor del narval son algo super interesante. También hay mucho de su historia y de la mitología del unicornio y de cómo está ligada a la existencia del narval. No es para quien sea, me queda claro, pero yo disfruté mucho de este libro.

[Carol Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why do narwhals have long tusks protruding from their heads? Do they use the tusks as weapons? No, Todd McLeish writes. Most scientists who have studied narwhals believe the tusks are simply secondary sexual characteristics by which males attract females. If tusks contributed to the whales' defenses or well-being, females would also have developed them, he writes. Females rarely have tusks.

Narwhals live in arctic waters. There used to be a colony near Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, but that is gone, presumably wiped out by whalers. Whalers also killed many thousands of narwhals in the arctic, but now in Canada and Greenland only Native hunters are allowed to kill them for subsistence.

McLeish journeyed to Baffin Island, Canada, to see narwhals. He was so thrilled that he continued to study them, including Greenland's narwhals, and their arctic environment. (But if you hope to see narwhals, be aware that most sightings do not include a look at the tusks, which are underwater when narwhals swim.)

Narwhals developed specifically for the arctic, and only polar bears are considered as vulnerable to warming there.

If you are interested in these amazing animals, the true "unicorns," this is a good book to read.

[The Wildlife Center of Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our book club participants enjoyed this one; many said they learned a lot about a species they didn't know much about before. A few people rated down a little just because of the heavier science side, though most agreed it was all well presented!

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally finished this audiobook! It took me a while because listening to audiobooks is not really in my system, I sporadically love it but more of the time I prefer listening to music. It's not because of this book though, it is a super interesting book on the mystical narwhal. I loved the author's story telling and his adventures while looking to learn more about narwhals and how they are threatened by global warming and the climate crisis. The narration (via Audible) was okay, super American, but easy listening. I will definitely check more books out by this author!

[Dallin Kohler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet. McLeish weaves a slew of experiences and perspectives about narwhals into a book that captures the intrigue and mystery of these awesome Arctic animals.

[Evon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed learning about the natural history of narwhals. Nice look at how challenging they are to study and why much is not known about them still.

[mg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh...it was ok. There were parts where it felt like the author went into details that were totally unnecessary just to make the book a little longer (it's only 190 pgs). I kept thinking, "Yeah, but get back to the narwhals already!" Also, I'm just not a birder, and McLeish is. He continually wrote about the many varieties of birds in the Arctic and their habits and really couldn't give a whit. I guess others might find it interesting, though...

I did learn a few really interesting facts about the narwhals and the Arctic in general, though, so that was cool. I'm not sure if there is another one that combines the subjects like McLeish does...if so I might suggest reading that one first?

[Cyndie Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Provides some nice details about narwhals. Unfortunately, it seems that there is still a lot of things that are not known about them, so a lot of this relatively short book is spent talking about the author's travels and experience of the arctic in general. The author also seemed to give a lot of validity to the opinion of a researcher whose work is roundly criticized by his peers which makes the author feel like a somewhat unreliable narrator.

[Kayla Cyr · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half was good and wholesome. There’s some tea in the narwhal community we’ve been sleeping on lol . I did have to skip over almost all of the second half because there’s a lot about hunting - I understand the cultural aspects etc- but it makes me too sad to actually sit and read that so I chose not to. There probably should be a trigger warning honestly. But I did like the first part of the book . I learned many new things.

[Linda Marie Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear and fascinating description of narwhals, and the challenges they face due to hunting and environmental changes. The first few chapters, which describe what is known about narwhals and their history, are particularly interesting. I'm left, though, with the conclusion that there is still much to learn about this animal.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to imagine that anyone could put together enough information on this single subject, but Todd McLeish manages to cover a lot of ground about this fascinating and little known animal.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the detailed science, history, and personal experiences the author included. This was the first time I have read about narwhals and the book was appropriately lay level and comprehensive.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read that is broader than the title suggests and invokes a feeling of uncertainty throughout. Turns out very little is known about narwhals. This vacuum is filled with occasional tangents about other iconic arctic species (bowheads, belugas, ivory gulls) and what I assume is an honest reflection our ignorance regarding the natural history of this species. At times the research presented seems unworthy of mention until you realize that may be all there is to report. What was lacking in scientific detail was made up for by a engaging travelogue to some of the more remote places on earth.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know much about narwhals before reading this book (though I did know they were real) -- so I learned quite a bit about their biology! The author is passionate about his subject, and I appreciated his enthusiasm. It's really interesting to me that we still don't know many things about narwhals -- which is just pretty cool in 2020, even with all the technology and research, that some animals can still hold a bit of a mystery for us.

[Pep · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.75 stars)

Pretty interesting book. Sometimes the author went into details about things that were only tangentially related to narwhals. I’m not sure if that was just poor writing or because so little is known about narwhals. At times it got pretty heavy on the science-y stuff, and that was a little hard for me to understand. Overall, it was a fairly enjoyable read

[Bill Leach · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author tells of his travels to see and understand narwhals. Interesting.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book and the author was very enthusiastic about the subject. I got a little slowed down in middle with scientific stuff. I actually never heard of Narwhals before so learned a lot.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not interested enough in wildlife biology to appreciate this book. Those who are would love it.

[Dixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting information about a fascinating and little-known animal.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a goodreads First Reads giveaway.

Narwhals are among the most mysterious animals in the world, with their long tusks and habitat that is inaccessible to most people. Todd McLeish attempts to dispel some of the mystery surrounding these whales in this wonderful book based on his personal observations on Baffin Island in Canada, and in Greenland.

McLeish begins by giving a brief history of the misconceptions about narwhals, as well as the more accurate understanding that has developed over the years. For example, the tusk, originally thought to be a weapon that could be used to attack ships, is actually a tooth that is most likely used as a sensory organ.

Following that, he relates his own experiences in the Arctic, observing narwhals as part of scientific teams, and also accompanying a group of Inuit hunters who are permitted a small number of narwhals for subsistence hunting. As an animal lover, McLeish was surprised that his reaction to the hunt and flensing of the narwhal brought about a rather unemotional response in him. He also describes the research being done to learn more about narwhal biology, behaviors, and migration patterns. All of this is done without being overly dry; the information provided is easily understood by non-scientists, and the awe with which McLeish views the whales and the Arctic comes through clearly. The magical moments when narwhals are seen at close range is captured beautifully. Readers will be captivated by his description of a group of narwhals that approached their campsite, only about 50 feet out in the water, each one raising its tusk in succession, and then swimming off.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in narwhals, or whales in general.

[Nostalgia Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good blend of memoir, non-fiction, and interviews with experts. I thought that the memoir parts of the author recalling his many trips to the Arctic to narwhal watch and tag along with researchers were excellent. McLeish paints a very vividly gorgeous picture of the region and the wildlife.... I wanted the entire thing to be purely memoir, with a few scientific leeways interspersed.

And it was, in some ways, encompassing many excerpts of interviews that he conducted with narwhal and Arctic experts. Working these facts into the facts that he researched himself made for an informative read, but it just never seemed to flow very well. Each chapter did focus on an individual topic, but the information within was a bit random, sometimes taking detours onto completely different topics (I remember one of the chapters had an entire section with facts about walruses... which was interesting, but mostly unrelated).

I enjoyed the book, and I learned quite a lot, and was able to immerse myself in the Arctic realm (which I usually seem to do in the summer, read polar-related books), but the presentation of information had me a bit lost in parts. Regardless, if you want to learn more about narwhals, then this is an excellent book to read. I'm sure it's a great compliment to Barry Lopez's Arctic Dreams, which is quoted often.

[g-na · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the only book I have read, to date, about narwhals and as such it has given me most of the knowledge I now have about the species. Written by a natural history writer this book most likely contains more information on the author's personal journey to research the whales and less information on the whales themselves than if it had been written by a biologist. However, there is still so much we don't know about narwhals so the facts alone wouldn't have made for a very long book.

I was happy to learn what I could about them, and I especially enjoyed reading about the high Arctic. I visited the Canadian Arctic myself last summer (not too far from some of the places the author describes) so I can vividly picture the landscapes he describes. I now know narwhals live in the area I visited, but sadly, I saw none.

[Alexis Thibeault · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is perfect for us science enthusiasts without formal backgrounds. A bit low on the actual science side, McLeish nevertheless explores what we know about the wonderful world of the narwhal in great detail. He especially nails the historic and legendary side of the species as well as explores the reasons they remain such a mystery through his own adventures and encounters. Although the actual data is not very present, he does present the scientific theories and facts in narwhals in a very easy to read way. I would recommend this book to someone more used to reading humanities and travel diaries than a science reader as it is very human based and informal, nonetheless I found it to be a very informative and captivating read.

[Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up from the library because when I saw it, I realized that I didn't know anything about narwhals. I did learn a lot about the ages, behaviors, and features of narwhals, including the controversy about what the horn is for and some of the history and misconception behind that, too. My only complaint is that this book could easily have been an article, and there's a bit less about narwhals in it than perhaps there should be in the book called "Narwhals." A good introductory read, but a bit light on science and a bit heavy on extraneous details.

[Mrs. Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not find McLeish's writing very compelling. I am very interested in narwhals, and I hoped this would be a more engaging look at these mysterious creatures and the mythology that surrounds them. While there was some interesting discussion, most of the book was about McLeish's own experiences (which were interesting, to be sure), but I could have done without his own personal musings. I guess I expected more from this book. It was a worthwhile read, though, and I did learn a lot.

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable with great descriptions of the Arctic and its human and animal inhabitants. I was disappointed that the author didn't really clear up some of the controversy surrounding Narwhals and climate change, perhaps there currently no answers, but I wish he made that clearer in his book.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating mammals. Book was a little dry at times but it was cool that the author went all over and interacted with researchers, hunters, etc. to gather his data. Was disappointing to learn that Canadian Inuit hunt narwhals more for a profit than subsistence (as they do in Greenland).

[Lacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narwhals are fascinating and mysterious creatures. This book really had some great information and detail about them, even if it seemed pretty long and drawn out in parts. I definitely have a new respect and admiration for these “unicorns”!

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the books by this author. They include their personal accounts and travels alongside a gathering of information from researchers and various sources. Covers not only narwhals but other key issues in the Arctic.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so appreciated the author's enthusiasm for his subject, and I wanted to like it so much more than I did.

I think it's a question of style, and I can't put my finger on it.