Some Rare Species of animals in the world

 What is a Narwhal?

Narwhal is one of the unusual whales found chiefly in the Arctic waters. A narwhal is a toothed whale (Monodon monoceros). In a narwhal, the left of the two teeth is developed into a very long unicorn-like tusk. It is twisted in a left-handed spiral and can be more than nine feet long!

The body of a narwhal is grey and has darker and lighter marks on it. It has a blunty rounded head and has no dorsal fin. Narwhal grows to about fifteen feet in length. Narwhals are gregarious and live in groups (schools) of twenty or more. They eat squid and fish for a living.

The long sword-like tusk is found only in the male narwhal. The right tooth of the male and both teeth of the female usually remain in the deep sockets in the skull. In baby narwhals, many small teeth can be found which disappear soon after birth.

What are Pinnipeds?

Pinnipeds are a general name given to fin-footed sea animals. Pinnipeds are mammals with limbs that are used as paddles or flippers. The Seal, sea lion and walrus are the three main types of pinnipeds.

There are about thirty different kinds of pinnipeds, most of which live in the cold Arctic and Antarctic oceans as well as in the southern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Millions of years ago the ancestors of Pinnipeds lived on land. With time some of these adapted to life in water. But they remained carnivores or flesh eaters like dogs, cats, lions, and bears.

Pinnipeds have a thick layer of blubber beneath the hairy skin which gives them extra buoyancy in the water and also keeps them warm. The blubber also serves as a reserve of food in an emergency. For seals are valued for their pelts, “hair seals” are hunted for the oil present in their blubber.

Sea lions (otaries) differ from true seals (phocids) in having external ears and a longer and more distinct neck, as well as in the formation of their limbs. Walruses, unlike seals, have no external ears. The short, broad muzzle is covered with stiff, quill-like whiskers.

All pinnipeds are gregarious by nature and live in large groups or herds. Before bearing their young, they come out to live on land or at least on a large cake of ice.

Pinnipeds can live on land as well as in water and are expert swimmers and divers. They can dive up to sixty to ninety meters deep inside water in search of food.

Where do Otters live?

Otters belong to the species of semi-aquatic mammals of the weasel family called mustelid. All the members of this family are short-legged, with thick coats of fur and very sharp teeth. They are highly valued for their fur. Few other animals produce such durable and prized furs.

Otters can live on land as well as in water. Their webbed feet help them swim with ease. They can travel underwater up to almost half a kilometre without coming up for air. These fast swimmers are also able to run very fast on the land despite their short legs.

Otters eat all kinds of small aquatic animals including fish which they catch skillfully, sometimes together in a group. They also kill and eat small mammals on land. Their sense of smell is very strong.

Otters living in seawater are larger and heavier than those living in freshwater. They have dark brown fur and white whiskers from which is derived the nickname “the old men of the sea”.

The freshwater otters dig a hold into the bank of a stream or lake. The hold leads to a den of lived leaves. The otter family lives here with their two or three children. Before the young babies can swim, the mother otter sometimes carries them on her back in the water. The parents soon teach them to swim and dive and catch fish expertly.