Narwhals are enigmatic Arctic whales with long tusks, highly sensitive to sea ice changes and human disturbance, making them among the most vulnerable cetaceans to climate change.
Narwhals are acutely sensitive to their Arctic environment and face significant welfare threats from rapid climate change. Sea ice reduction removes the habitat they depend on for rest and calving. Research has documented extreme cardiac responses including heart rate spikes and then dramatic suppression when narwhals are disturbed or caught in nets, suggesting profound stress responses to capture. Traditional Inuit hunting of narwhals is part of sustainable cultural practices, but the animal's stress physiology makes humane killing particularly important. Climate change shifts in prey availability are causing nutritional stress. Ship traffic in newly ice-free Arctic waterways creates noise pollution that disrupts echolocation. Scientific tagging studies improve understanding but add individual welfare burden.