Narwhals Have Endured A Million Years With Low Genetic Diversity, And They Re Thriving

Jorge Davis

VIEWS

1595

INFO

more

Category : Biology
Size : 192409
By : Jorge Davis

Using Your Google Account

Google Login/Sign up

Recover Your Password

back to login

Abstract

Researchers have sequenced the genome of a narwhal, the Arctic whale famous for the horn-like tusk protruding from its forehead. Their work finds that compared to other Arctic marine mammals, narwhals have low genetic diversity, which typically indicates a species is struggling. However, narwhal populations number in the hundreds of thousands -- but researchers warn they are still vulnerable to climate change and human activities in the Arctic.

Keywords
Researchers genome narwhal Arctic famous horn like tusk protruding marine mammals genetic populations number vulnerable climate human activities

Recommended Papers