. The Canadian field-naturalist. Natural history. 324 The Canadian Field-Naturalist Vol. 116. Figure 1. Known range of Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) near Foxe Basin, and location of our observation. chin (each approximately 10X15 cm), and it was otherwise a uniform mottled gray over the rest of the body, which is an odd colouration for an adult (K. Hay, Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, personal communication). Also, there was a puncture wound on the dorsal surface of the Narwhal centered approximately 2 cm to the right of the spine. The puncture was almost a perfect, smooth circle with a diame
. The Canadian field-naturalist. Natural history. 324 The Canadian Field-Naturalist Vol. 116. Figure 1. Known range of Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) near Foxe Basin, and location of our observation. chin (each approximately 10X15 cm), and it was otherwise a uniform mottled gray over the rest of the body, which is an odd colouration for an adult (K. Hay, Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, personal communication). Also, there was a puncture wound on the dorsal surface of the Narwhal centered approximately 2 cm to the right of the spine. The puncture was almost a perfect, smooth circle with a diameter of approxi- mately 5 cm, and it was clearly made as something penetrated from the dorsal surface directly into the central organs of the Narwhal. We could see 10 cm into the wound, at which point the mass of internal tissues had collapsed and sealed the hole. It did not appear to result from a bite from another animal, and thus we considered three possible explanations: gun- shot wound, harpoon wound, or puncture from the tusk of another Narwhal. First, all observers agreed that, given the location, shape and direction of the puncture, the pattern was inconsistent with that expected from a gunshot wound. Second, the wound configuration was consistent with a harpoon punc- ture. However, if this was an animal that had suf- fered internal wounds during an Inuit hunt, it would have travelled at least 200 km from the known range of Narwhal and Inuit hunting regions in this condi- tion. Finally, we postulate that the wound could have resulted from a puncture by the tusk of another Narwhal. The function of the Narwhal tusk has been the topic of considerable speculation, but it is likely used as a weapon, as a sexually selected trait that indicates male dominance (Gerson and Hickie 1985), and perhaps for digging for food. One study has reported injury of a female Narwhal from another Narwhal's tusk (Ford and Ford 1986). Unfortunately, in our case the lack of dissection and preserva
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