LARGE NARWHAL TUSK. ...

Description

LARGE NARWHAL TUSK
Monodon monoceras
The Narwhal is the strangest and rarest of all species of whale to be found in the modern-day oceans. It is related to the Beluga and the Irawaddy Dolphin, but distinguished by the unique growth of its left tooth to form a "unicorn" spear that can reach up to 10 feet in length - its Latin name means "one tooth, one horn". A native of the Arctic oceans, it was once thought that the distinctive tusk was a tool for breaking through the thick ice covering its native waters or that perhaps its use was primarily ritual. Recent research suggests, however, that unlike the protruding horn-like teeth and tusks found in other mammals, that of the Narwhal may in fact be a sensory organ; electron micrography reveals millions of tiny tubules leading from the surface of the horn and apparently connecting to the nervous system. Such tubules are found in many species, but do not typically extend to the outer surface of healthy teeth. In the case of the Narwhal, they may be used to sense water temperature and pressure, or even barometric pressure. In medieval Europe the Narwhal horn was thought to be from the Unicorn and they were sold for considerably more than their weight in gold, prized for their supposedly magical properties and as protection against poison; Elizabeth I paid £10,000 for one, which was more than the cost of a castle, and it may be that same specimen that survives today as the shaft of the English Royal Scepter (the Narwhal's horn was similarly used for the scepters of the Austrian Hapsburgs and the Russian czars).The present example is of impressive size, at 77¼ inches in length, and exhibits the classic left-handed helix structure all the way along its length to the well-formed tip, and the fine root section retains some of the original tissue. Comes complete with documentation allowing it to be sold within the United States. However, it is important to note that this lot cannot be exported outside of the United States.
Provenance: From a museum collection in Ohio.

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