If you ever want a chance to see a 82-inch narwhal tusk up close, look no further than Worcester, Massachusetts.
Worcester’s EcoTarium, a science and nature museum, has received a donation of a rare narwhal tusk that will be put out on display, according to a press release from the museum. Narwhals are whales that have one giant tooth, or tusk, that sticks out from their face.
The tusk is a donation from benefactors Peter and Joan Dirlam, the press release reads.
“We are tremendously grateful to the Dirlam family for their generous support of our non-releasable wildlife and animal ambassadors at the museum,” Noreen Smith, president and CEO of the EcoTarium, wrote in the press release.
What makes this tusk so special and rare is its length, according to Danielle Fisher, the EcoTarium’s marketing manager.
The average growth of a tusk reaches an asymptotic length of 178 centimeters, (70 inches) at approximately 53 years old, Fisher said. The tusk the EcoTarium received, however, is 210 centimeters (82 inches).
“The oldest narwhal on record is over 100 years.” Fisher told MassLive, “Our tusk is measured to be close to 100 years old.”
Male narwhals most commonly have tusks and some may even have two, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
“Ongoing research by WWF collaborators indicates that the tusk has sensory capability, with up to 10 million nerve endings inside,” the WWF’s narwhal webpage reads. “The tusk may also play a role in the ways males exert dominance.”
Peter Dirlam acquired the narwhal tusk through a legal purchase from the Alaskan Native Arts Society, prior to the establishment of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) in 1972, according to the EcoTarium’s press release. The MMPA prohibits the harassment, hunting, capturing, collecting, or killing of marine mammals in U.S. waters and by U.S. citizens on high seas, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries website.
In addition to the narwhal tusk, the Dirlams also donated whale jawbones, six sculptured wood whales by artist Clark Voorhees Jr., and a monetary gift to establish the Dirlam Fund for the care and acquisition of animals at the EcoTarium, the press release reads.
“The fascinating narwhal tusk and carved whales will be displayed for public enjoyment and will contribute to our environmental education programs,” wrote Smith.
