A rare discovery was made by employees of the «Russian Arctic» National Park while patrolling the Alexandra Land - a large island located in the Franz Josef Land Archipelago.
A man-sized skull of a narwhal with a horn weighing more than 15 kg was found on the coastline of the Otmelaya Bay in the Barents Sea.
«We were undertaking a long-distance patrol to the Cape Strelka along the coastline of the Alexandra Land Island. The island has a year-round team site - the «Omega» camp. My partner, state inspector Oleg Valkov, was about to turn back when he noticed a large object lying near the water,” said Daria Antufieva, expert of the Department of Environmental Education and Tourism at the «Russian Arctic» National Park.
«It turned out to be a skull with a tooth in perfect condition. Very carefully we transported the bones to the camp.»
The scientists explained to EcoTourism Expert that over the park’s ten-year history this is the second such large-scale discovery of cetacean remains.The narwhal horn was discovered by scientists on the Scott Kelti island, Franz Joseph Land, for the first time in 2013. However, the sample was too old - these were the fossils found high on the ancient marine terrace.
«Everything related to the narwhals and generally to the cetaceans in the northwestern part of the Barents Sea is very exciting. Therefore, such findings are extremely valuable for science,” said Ivan Mizin, deputy director for research at the «Russian Arctic» National Park.
«The collection of narwhal bones and of other cetacean species is extremely rare, as animals usually die in water, and they can either sink, or they can be thrown by a wave to a remote place inaccessible for a human. Within several years the remains are completely destroyed by storms and ice.»
Just as it happened a year ago, when scientists from the «Russian Arctic» discovered a corpse of a narwhal on the island of Querini in the Franz Josef Land Archipelago. Weather conditions and ice prevented the team from collecting the remains of the whale. A year later, during the mission to the island of Querini the team noted that there had been no narwhal at the targeted site.
«We intend to develop cooperation among specialists in cetaceans who deal with these issues in the territory of the national park. Pilot projects were conducted in the spring of 2019 during the TRANSARCTIC 2019 mission,” said Ivan Mizin, deputy director for research at the «Russian Arctic» National Park.
«In addition, we have data on marine mammals, which we collected during the Complex Research Expedition of the Northern Fleet, where we were able to conduct 43-day round-the-clock observations of the Barents Sea fauna. In general, the data obtained in 2019 if not sensational then at least revolutionary. We have up-to-date information on both species diversity and the distribution sites of marine mammals.»
The bones of the Arctic unicorn are currently being studied by biologists and geneticists, afterwards the skull will become one of the showpieces in the «Russian Arctic» National Park museum in Arkhangelsk.
Blogs
