SGER: Field Testing To Confirm The Sensory Hypothesis Of the Male Narwhal Tusk

自1495年Albertus Magnus的著作以来，独角鲸象牙的功能一直没有科学发现。 独角兽长长的螺旋形象牙，激发了独角兽的传说，吸引了艺术家，好奇的探险家和困惑的科学家。 现在，有初步证据表明象牙是一种感觉器官，可以检测温度、压力、粒子和离子溶液的梯度，并具有触觉。 这项实验将在36度的北极沃茨对圈养鲸鱼进行，这是加拿大正常迁移标记工作的一部分。 可变的盐离子溶液将被引入到围绕象牙的一部分的垫圈中。 当象牙暴露在这些溶液中时，大脑和肌肉活动，心率和脉搏率以及声音反应将被监测。 这些结果有望证实通过在电子显微镜下检查象牙而建立的微观解剖模型。 结果应该证实了2007年考察期间观察到的明显视觉反应，即高盐离子溶液暴露于象牙表面后象牙立即摆动。 这种感觉能力的发现和记录将产生广泛的公众和科学影响。 独角鲸可能是自然界中最好的全球变暖探测器，因为它感知盐离子溶液的能力与冰的形成和融化直接相关。 此外，对于牙齿组织的发育，独角鲸的象牙可能是数亿年前的关键进化联系，当时装甲鱼可能已经能够检测温度，压力，溶液中的颗粒和触觉事件的梯度。

The function of the narwhal tusk has eluded scientific discovery since the writings of Albertus Magnus in 1495. The long, spiraled tusk, inspiring the legend of the unicorn, has captivated artists, intrigued explorers and baffled scientists. Now, there is preliminary evidence suggesting that the tusk is a sensory organ, detecting gradients of temperature, pressure, particle and ion solutions, and having tactile sensation. The experiment will be completed in 36 degree Arctic waters on captive whales that are part of normal migration tagging efforts in Canada. Variable salt ion solutions will be introduced to a gasket that surrounds a portion of the tusk. As the tusk is exposed to these solutions, brain and muscle activity, heart and pulse rate, and vocal response will be monitored. The results are expected to confirm the micro-anatomic model developed by examining tusks under an electron microscope. The results should confirm overt visual responses observed during the 2007 expedition, of tusk waving immediately after high salt ion solutions were exposed to the tusk surface. The discovery and documentation of this sensory ability will have broad public and scientific impacts. The narwhal may be nature's best detector of global warming, as the ability to sense salt ion solutions is directly linked to ice formation and melting. Furthermore, for tooth tissue development, the narwhal tusk may be the key evolutionary link to several hundred million years ago when armored fish may have been able to detect gradients of temperature, pressure, particles in solution, and tactile events.