Unicorns are said to only exist in fairy tales, but today there are real unicorns swimming in the oceans. One of the most interesting and particularly strange animals living on this planet would undoubtedly be the narwhal or the sea unicorn. The narwhal is a whale that lives in the Arctic and due to its isolation in the northern seas, this whale remains a mystery to most people. The narwhal belongs to the kingdom Animalia and the phylum Chordata, which means that it is an animal that has a backbone. The narwhal belongs to the class of mammals, which means that it is a mammal that gives birth to living things and suckles its young. The order in which the narwhal is classified is the order Cetacea, a group of mammals that includes only whales, dolphins and porpoises. The narwhal belongs to the family Monodontidae, which is the family composed of two groups of white whales, the beluga and the narwhal. The true name of the narwhal species is Monodon monoceros. The name Monodon literally means “a tooth” and monoceros translates to “a horn” (Narval, 2011). The narwhal is considered a medium-sized whale. Males can weigh up to 3,500 pounds, while females are smaller, weighing only 2,200 pounds. Males and females are white with black and white spots on their backs. Narwhals are darkest when they are born and become lighter as they age. Narwhals have a cylindrical body, no dorsal fin, a round head and a small mouth on a very blunt nose. The most striking feature of this whale would be its unicorn-like horn, which is more visible in males than females (Narval, 2011). A male narwhal can have a single tusk that can measure up to 7.. .... middle of paper...... at http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ASej5txdKs0J:www .enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/species/Narwhal.shtml+Narwhal&cd= 4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a&source=www.google.comNarwhal. (nd). In National Geographic. Retrieved May 4, 2011 from http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:6VvDV340QP4J:animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/narwhal/+Narwhal&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a&source =www.google.comNarval. (nd). On Wikipedia. Retrieved May 4, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NarwhalGnarly Narwhal. (nd) Mr. Kevin. Retrieved May 4, 2011, from http://w3.shorecrest.org/~Lisa_Peck/MarineBio/syllabus/ch9vertebrates/mammals/mammalwp/class_of_2005/kevin2/navigationbar.htmlPolar Bear. (nd). On Wikipedia. Retrieved May 4, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_Bear