3 Unicorns of the Sea

Chapter 3 UNICORNS OF THE SEA The narwhals were bounding through the water. Foamy waves washed over the ice. "I wrote about narwhals in my report!" said Annie. "They're some of the most mysterious creatures on earth!" She ran down the pebbly shore to get a closer look. Clutching the book and his bag, Jack ran after her. "They're called the Unicorns of the Sea!" Annie shouted over her shoulder. "I get it!" called Jack. Their long horns looked just like the horns of unicorns! The narwhals arched out of the water to breathe the fresh air. As they exhaled, puffs of mist burst from their blowholes, like

sneezes. Annie stopped running. "Their horns are really tusks. And almost all narwhals with tusks are male," she said, panting. "And the tusk is a super-long tooth. It can be as long as ten feet!" "No kidding, a ten-foot tooth?" said Jack. "What does the tooth do?" He'd heard of narwhals before, but he didn't know much about them. "No one knows for sure," said Annie. "Scientists hardly ever see narwhals. But we just got here, and there they are! I don't believe it!" "We're lucky," said Jack. He opened their book. He found a section on narwhals and read aloud: Narwhals are mysterious whales that live most of their lives in the dark sea. They can dive deeper than any other mammal and stay

underwater for twenty-five minutes! No narwhal has ever survived in captivity. "That's odd," said Jack. "Most animals live longer in captivity. They get plenty of food, and they don't get killed by predators." "I know," said Annie. "But when narwhals are captured and put in aquariums, they don't live long. They need to be free." She and Jack watched the narwhals dive deeper into the water. Their large heart- shaped tails flashed above the surface. Then the creatures disappeared from sight. Jack read more: Like most whales, narwhals communicate underwater by using a variety of sounds, such as clicks, whistles, and squeaks. "Scientists put recorders in the sea," said Annie, "and they hear all these weird

sounds. But they can't figure out what narwhals are saying, or how they can hear at such long distances." "Look, they're back," said Jack. The narwhals had popped to the surface. Several were swimming upside down. Some were pushing each other around. Others waved their tusks and tapped them together. "Why are they tapping their tusks?" said Jack. "They're having a chat," said Annie. Jack laughed. "Actually, scientists say they might use their tusks to attract mates or gather information," said Annie.

As Jack watched the narwhals bob up and down in the water, he tried to count them. "One, two, three, four…" In the middle of his count, seabirds began to screech overhead. The narwhals made loud whooshing sounds. They thrashed around in the water. "What's wrong?" said Annie. "That!" said Jack. A tall fin was gliding across the bay. It looked like a black flag. "A shark?" cried Annie. "No, that's way bigger than a shark fin!" said Jack. Suddenly a giant whale burst out of the waves. It had a black back and a white belly. It was as big as a school bus! The whale crashed down into the water. "An orca—a killer whale!" cried Annie. "And there's more than one!" said Jack. At least four other giant black fins

appeared in the bay. The killer whales were headed straight for the herd of narwhals.