How Narwhals Find Food: Hunting Beneath Arctic Sea Ice
The question, “What do narwhals eat?” often receives a simple answer: fish and squid. However, this response overlooks the more complex issue of how narwhals locate and capture food in one of the most challenging environments on Earth.
Unlike whales that feed in open water or near the surface, narwhals often hunt beneath dense sea ice, where visibility is limited and conditions change quickly. Their feeding success depends not only on what prey is available but also on sound, timing, depth, and experience.
This article explores the methods narwhals use to locate prey beneath Arctic sea ice and analyzes why their hunting strategies differ significantly from those of other whale species.
Feeding in an environment with little light
Much of the Arctic Ocean is dim or completely dark for long periods of the year. In winter, sunlight may barely penetrate the water column, and in ice-covered regions, there may be no open surface at all.
Because of this, narwhals cannot rely primarily on vision when feeding. Instead, they use echolocation, a biological sonar system common to toothed whales. Narwhals produce clicking sounds that travel through water and reflect off objects, including fish and squid. By interpreting the returning echoes, they can determine the location and movement of prey even in total darkness.
Echolocation allows narwhals to hunt efficiently in environments where human divers or visually dependent predators would encounter significant challenges.
For a broader look at the prey species narwhals consume, see our overview of what narwhals eat:
Deep diving and targeted hunting
Narwhals are not casual feeders. Tagged individuals repeatedly dive to similar depths, suggesting they target specific layers of the water column where prey is likely to be found.
In some regions, narwhals are known to feed heavily on Greenland halibut, a deep-dwelling fish that lives near the seafloor. Hunting prey like this requires:
Repeated deep dives
Precise navigation
Careful energy management
Narwhals can make long dives and recover quickly at the surface or at openings in the ice, allowing them to exploit prey that other predators cannot reach as easily.
Research utilizing satellite tags and dive recorders has been essential in identifying these behavioral patterns. An overview of scientific methods for studying narwhal diving behavior is available from organizations such as NOAA.
Under-ice feeding and navigation
Unlike many marine mammals, narwhals spend much of their lives in close association with sea ice. They use cracks, leads, and recurring openings to breathe, sometimes returning to the same locations.
This ice-associated lifestyle shapes how narwhals feed:
They often hunt below continuous ice cover, not just near open water.
They may rely on memory and experience to navigate complex ice environments.
Feeding routes can be closely tied to seasonal ice formation and breakup.
These under-ice hunting strategies are closely linked to narwhal migration patterns, which determine the timing and location of feeding opportunities throughout the year. Further details on this connection click here.
Seasonal shifts in feeding behavior
Narwhal feeding is not static. As the Arctic changes with the seasons, so does the availability of prey.
In summer, narwhals may have access to a broader range of prey species and feeding locations. In winter, when sea ice expands, they may focus more on deep-water prey that remain accessible beneath the ice.
Climate change is modifying these seasonal patterns by influencing sea ice formation and persistence. Alterations in ice timing impact when narwhals can access feeding grounds and the duration of their safe presence. Additional information on this topic is available in the article on climate-driven changes in migration.
Does the narwhal tusk play a role in feeding?
The narwhal tusk is one of the most recognizable features in the animal kingdom, but it is not a hunting spear. Females typically lack long tusks and feed as effectively as males.
Scientific research shows that the tusk is a specialized tooth with millions of nerve endings, making it highly sensitive to environmental conditions. While researchers continue to explore how this sensory information may help narwhals interpret their surroundings, feeding itself does not depend on the tusk.
For current scientific understanding and remaining questions, refer to our narwhal tusk resource center.
Sound, silence, and successful hunting
Because narwhals rely so heavily on sound, their feeding behavior can be disrupted by noise. Increased ship traffic, industrial activity, and other human-generated sounds can interfere with echolocation, making it harder for narwhals to locate prey.
This concern is shared by researchers and Indigenous communities regarding changes in Arctic shipping patterns. For an examination of how noise affects narwhals, click on this resource:
The best way to answer “How do narwhals find food?”
A more accurate response extends beyond listing prey species and considers the following:
Narwhals are specialized under-ice hunters that use echolocation, deep diving, and seasonal knowledge of the Arctic environment to find food in darkness.
Understanding narwhal hunting behavior clarifies their sensitivity to changes in sea ice, noise, and climate, and underscores the importance of protecting their habitat for their continued survival.
For information on how Indigenous knowledge complements scientific research on narwhal behavior, consult our resource:
