The National Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore (at the University of Maryland Medical Center) opened its newest exhibit last December--"The Narwhal: A Whale of a Tooth." The exhibition features a 13-foot, life-size model of a male Narwhal with a five-foot tusk growing through the upper lip and jaw.

The exhibition is based on the research of Dr. Martin Nweeia, the principal investigator of Narwhal Tusk Research, and a research associate in the Marine Mammal Program at the Smithsonian Institute. Visitors will hear stories about this "Unicorn of the Sea" and the legends surrounding the sailor stories that has had scientists wondering about the creature for decades.

The most startling revelation is that a Narwhal (Monodon monocerous) has a tusk whose outer surface is composed of 10 million, tiny tubules that contain neural fibers connected to the single tusk's central nerve. Dr. Nweeia noted that it is indeed strange to discover such a formation of millions of sensory pathways connected to its nervous system that are exposed to the frigid arctic environment. The usual range of this creature is from the Atlantic portion of the Arctic Ocean to the Greenland Sea. This is the only currently known mammal to have such a natural physical arrangement.

The single tusk is the only one in nature that grows straight and can achieve a 9-foot length. The adult body form is between 13 and 15 feet long, weighing in at 2200 to 3500 pounds. This exhibition was supported through a grant from Sunstar Americas. The display will run through August, 2007 Bcooper@DentalMuseum.UMaryland.edu.