RE: When narwhals (Monodon monoceros) rub their tusks together, it is believed to be to share information about the water, not as a sign of aggressive rivalry
Great post! Honestly, I hate to say it, but until you wrote this, I never knew that a narwhal was a real animal. I've seen references before and a silly video on Youtube, but I always figured they were like a unicorn, as in, a mythical creature or something.
As for the whole horn theory, however, I think I might have an idea that makes sense. Thinking back on my research about epi-genetics, I recall one video in particular that talked about homosexuality in various species. The premise was that homosexuality was less about sex, and more about survival. If all males were homosexual, it would be problematic, but if all males were straight, it would be equally problematic since they would all be competing for a limited amount of sexual partners. With that said, epi-genetics kicks in depending on the family dynamic to adjust for the occasion to balance out the skill sets among the members in the group. Not all males should be warriors and not all females should be geared towards gathering and bearing children.
Getting back to the topic of narwhals, I believe that the small percentage of females that have a present horn is directly related to their group dynamic. If there is less males than a normal group would have, (whatever that would be...,) then the likelihood of the females born into that family with a horn increases.
Obviously, if science doesn't know the answer, I couldn't possibly know (after all, I just found out they exist...) Considering, however, what I have read about epi-genetics and hierarchy within animal groups, I don't believe that it it too far-fetched. To me, it makes sense that all of the males would have it if they act as the scouts for the group since it would be essential to detect the conditions of the water, but if there isn't enough scouts available, why wouldn't nature fill that gap somehow?
I don't know... That's just my theory. Here is a link to that video I was talking about...
Hehe, it's pretty funny that you didn't know they were for real :) I guess they are sort of like a mythical animal though, so it makes sense.
Anyway, that's an interesting theory. It would be very interesting to see if anyone is able to successfully determine which factors that lead to the formation of the horns in the females. While it does make sense that it could be linked to epigenetics and group dynamics, it's a bit of a stretch (in my opinion) to assume this. You might of course be right, but there are also a lot of other possible explanations for why only some of the females grow horns.
Thanks for sharing your hypothesis with the rest of us! I'm hoping we get some more narwhal research in the future to shed more light on all the questions we have about them.
You know what.. I wanted to add something more about this, but I still can't find the video/ article I found it on from a while back... But, anyways, When I first got chicken, I was wondering about how long it took before they started laying eggs, so I was watching and reading a lot of things on the matter. One video I came across was very interesting. It was a hen that had stopped laying eggs and the owners felt it as due to the hen getting too old, however, the twist was that it actually had nothing to do with the age, it was the result of not having any roosters around. I wish I could find something on it or remember the key words, but I remember that it is a trait that a hen can pick up for the sake of playing the role of the rooster; becoming the team defense and coordinator. What I found fascinating, is that it wasn't just behavioral, it was actually changing the hen's hormones. Now I've got to do some extensive research on epi-genetics and gender changing qualities. I have a feeling that I'm just a little shy of having all of the facts, but just a hair more research could clear the foggy water.
lol, sorry I couldn't have provided a more convincing argument. I'll have to go back and hit the books and try again later!