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Natural Histories

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Nature that has had a profound impact on human culture and society across history.

Nature that has got under our skin and profoundly impacted human culture and society across our history.

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Natural Histories: Narwhal

Factual

Narwhal

BBC Radio 4 - Natural Histories, Narwhal

Brett Westwood explores our relationship with the 'unicorn of the sea', the narwhal.

Brett Westwood explores our relationship with an Arctic legend, the narwhal. This 'unicorn of the sea' is not only extraordinary in appearance, but tantalisingly difficult to study

There can be few animals which inspire such fascination and intrigue as the Narwhal. Discoveries of their long spiral tusk which is actually a tooth which protrudes from the jaw of the male (and very occasionally the female), inspired legends about Unicorns. The horns were treasured for their purifying and health-giving properties and cups made from the horns were claimed to be able purify water and detect poisonous substances. But the true nature of the tusk is no less extraordinary that the fictional ones as Brett Westwood discovers when he explores our relationship with this Arctic legend. Producer Sarah Blunt

Contributors
Doug Allan - wildlife documentary cameraman
Dr Martin T. Nweeia - Lecturer at The Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Smithsonian research associate and content curator for the Smithsonian exhibit "Narwhal : Revealing an Arctic legend".
Dr William W. Fitzhugh - Arctic Curator and Director of the Smithsonian Institution's Arctic Studies Centre in the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
Barbara Drake Boehm - medievalist and Paul and Jill Rudduck Senior Curator at The Met Cloisters at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Dr Marianne Marcoux - Research Scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Dr Cortney Watt - Research Scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Ken Mantel - former geologist and owner of an Inuit Art Gallery
Ben Clanton - writer and illustrator of Narwhal and Jelly Books 
Additional sound recordings of Narwhals courtesy of Dr Susanna Blackwell- Greeneridge Sciences Inc.

First broadcast in a longer form 14th August 2018
Original Producer (2018) : Sarah Blunt
Archive Producer (2023) : Andrew Dawes

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