Talk:Narwhal

WP:CETA capitalisation discussion

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Swift (talk • contribs) 21:55, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Male fighting

Narwhals have been known to use their tusks as a defensive weapon as well. Even though the tusk is not the toughest found in the animal kingdom the narwhal uses it as a sword or spear when fighting with threats to their group. Many of the males have been found with large gashes on their heads along with pieces of tusks found lodged in the front of their skull that have been left behind from vicious fights they had endured. This has lead researchers to believe that the narwhals fight amongst one another for a variety of reasons including territory defense and displays of dominance.

References

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Hughes.1332 (talk • contribs) 22:29, 16 November 2014 (UTC)

Medium size

What the heck is a "medium-sized" toothed whale? What is this supposed to mean? Given that an adult male sperm whale can weigh 130,000 pounds, how is 3,500 pounds "medium-sized"? It seems rather compact to me! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:589:4b00:7ab:55f6:78ec:56e2:2486 (talk) 14:35, 18 June 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 27 March 2023

if i could edit stuff because i found a few misspellings Farrahgene (talk) 09:53, 27 March 2023 (UTC)

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. —Compassionate727 ^(T·C) 10:10, 27 March 2023 (UTC)

Length of females contradiction

"Total length in both sexes, excluding the tusk of the male, can range from 3.95 to 5.5 m (13 to 18 ft). Males, at an average length of 4.1 m (13.5 ft), are slightly larger than females, with an average length of 3.5 m (11.5 ft)."

So the length of females can range from 3.95 to 5.5 m (13 to 18 ft), but their average length is 3.5 m (11.5 ft), out of the range, which is mathematically impossible. Something should be fixed. 213.197.78.255 (talk) 11:18, 15 August 2023 (UTC)

Discussion of the tusk

I wanted to reformat the paragraph that discusses possible uses of the tusk by listing the theories as bullet points. This edit was quickly reverted. I wanted to draw attention to the phrase "The purpose of the narwhal tusk is a topic of constant debate." and show some of these theories (that may or may not be mutually exclusive) in a more reader-friendly format. Zachs81 (talk) 06:13, 28 January 2024 (UTC)

Please bring your ideas to the FAC I'll be nominating shortly. 20 upper (talk) 06:22, 28 January 2024 (UTC)

This article seems to be completely controlled by one user

If you look at the edit history, one user is making all the edits. This can be cross-referenced with the pad lock symbol in the upper corner of the article, letting you know the article is being controlled by specific power-users. It is completely unacceptable and against the spirit of Wikipedia. 203.219.65.139 (talk) 01:30, 24 February 2024 (UTC)

Nonsense. One particular editor has taken on the job of bringing the article to (I assume) GA or FA status, starting January of this year. The padlock shows that the article is locked for editing by editors who are not WP:AUTOCONFIRMED, to prevent vandalism - a trivial barrier to surmount. Anyone with a minimum of a track record can help edit the text. --Elmidae (talk · contribs) 06:53, 24 February 2024 (UTC)

NY Times: Why Do Whales Go Through Menopause?

@Wolverine XI I'm sorry the FAC didn't go as well as you hoped. If you decide to make another attempt, I would suggest putting it back on WP:PR and please ping me when you do and I'll be happy to give you whatever help I can.

I saw this article in today's NY Times. Thought you might find it interesting, and possibly useful to add to the article. Please note that's a time-limited URL to bypass the NY Times paywall; it's good for 30 days. RoySmith (talk) 23:04, 15 March 2024 (UTC)

@RoySmith: Thank you. I began a peer review just two weeks ago. Wolverine XI ^{(talk to me)} 08:16, 16 March 2024 (UTC)

reference to Jules Verne's novel 'Twenty Thousand...' missing

In the Wikipedia article on Jules Verne's novel 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas', it is mentioned that the narwhal plays a role in the plot, but in this article on the narwhal, no ping-back to that other article is made. It seems to me that such a ping-back ought to be made. Kontribuanto (talk) 17:51, 14 April 2024 (UTC)

So what Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas says in the plot section is "mysterious sea monster, which, it is later suggested, might be a gigantic narwhal." Thus the narwhal is not really an important part of the plot and it's not sourced. Too many Wikipedia articles include "In popular culture" sections that are noting more than trivia. I would oppose adding this. CambridgeBayWeather (solidly non-human), Uqaqtuq (talk), Huliva 18:06, 15 April 2024 (UTC)

I don't see how that would help the article as a whole. Wolverine XI ^{(talk to me)} 04:36, 16 April 2024 (UTC)

Copy editing notes

I, as a member of the Guild of Copy Editors, edited this article as requested by Wolverine XI. I took these notes while editing. I take these notes when an edit is too complicated for a copy edit, or to avoid leaving an inline maintenance tag. Of course, they just represent my opinion.

• genital slit
  • not really a problem with this article, but this redirect isn't great
• Narwhals from Canada and West Greenland winter regularly visit the pack ice of the Davis Strait and Baffin Bay along the continental slope with less than 5% open water and high densities of Greenland halibut.
  • This sentence is difficult to understand and needs to be rephrased. I couldn't figure it out by checking the source.
• Longevity and mortality factors
  • add intro sentence on entrapment events
• This suggests later departure dates from summering grounds. Wind and currents move sea ice from adjacent locations to Greenland, leading to fluctuations in concentration. Due to their tendency of returning to the same areas, changes in weather and ice conditions are not always associated with narwhal movement toward open water. It is currently unclear to what extent sea ice changes pose a danger to narwhals.
  • the relevance and tense of this is unclear
• However the net income, after subtracting costs in time and equipment, was a loss of CA$7 (US$6.80) per person.
  • per person? previous sentences said per narwhal
• Satellite data collected from these areas shows the amount of sea ice has been markedly reduced from what it was previously.
  • MOS:DATED
• Threats
  • the climate change paragraph (beginning with Narwhals are one of the most vulnerable) in this section is clunky and needs revision
• In 2002, hunters in Siorapaluk experienced an increase in the number of caught narwhals, but this increase did not seem to be linked to enhanced endeavour, implying that climate change may be making the narwhal more vulnerable to harvesting.
  • clarify "endeavour"; sentence is overall confusing
• While it is generally illegal to hunt narwhals, Inuit people are permitted to do so.
  • jurisdiction?
• Historical journalist Hadley Meares stated, "The trade strengthened during the Middle Ages, when the unicorn became a symbol of Christ, and therefore an almost holy animal."
  • a copy edit isn't a source review/cleanup but this is very weak. see also WP:RSPHISTORY. I recommend removing it unless a reliable source is found
• Across Europe, narwhal tusks were given as state gifts to kings and queens. There was also a growing demand for the supposed powers of unicorn horns.
  • when?
• The tusk has been used for therapeutic purposes, including cleansing polluted water and treating rubella, measles, fevers, and pain.
  • again, not a source review, but a possible WP:MEDRS area
• The rise of science towards the end of the 17th century led to a decreased belief in magic and alchemy. After it was determined that narwhal tusks were not effective antidotes, the practice of using them for this purpose was subsequently abandoned.
  • again, WP:RSPHISTORY
• and a regulated subsistence hunt continues.
  • this isn't really covered in the main text (continued subsistence hunt)

Let me know if you have any issues or questions. Thanks, Wracking ^talk! 04:42, 29 April 2024 (UTC)

References