From the Who Smarted Studios, it's everybody's favorite game show, Whale of Fortune.
And here's everybody's favorite host, Trusty Narrator.
Thank you and welcome back to Whale of Fortune, where contestants decipher little clues to win big prizes.
Best of all, smarty pants, you get to play along at home.
Okay, put the mystery word on the board.
We're looking for a seven -letter word.
Now let's spin the whale.
I'd like an R, please.
Very good, Sammy C -Star.
There's one R. Here's your clue.
This marine mammal weighs about 2 ,100 pounds and measures approximately 13 to 18 feet in length, nearly the height of, uh, giraffe.
Hmm, not enough to solve, Trusty Narrator.
I'll spin again. I'd like a B, please.
No B. Tracey Tuna, you're up.
N, please. One N. Next clue, these whales can dive to nearly 5 ,000 feet deep and spend up to 25 minutes underwater before resurfacing to breathe through their blowholes.
Hmm, don't know it.
I'll spin again. Hmm, uh, W?
There is one W. N -R -W.
Is it the North Pacific right whale?
Ooh, sorry, Tracy. Ollie Octopus, you're up.
I'd like to buy a vowel.
An A? Well played. There are two As, plus this clue.
These toothy whales, whose habitat is primarily the Arctic and Atlantic waters around Canada, Russia, and Greenland, sometimes have one extra -long canine tooth protruding as a tusk through their lip.
I'd like to solve. Smarty Pants, shout it out too, if you know.
Narwhal, the unicorn of the sea!
That's it, Ollie Octopus.
The answer is, indeed, Narwhal.
Smarty Pants, did you get it too?
Congrats if you did.
Ollie, you'll be moving on to our bonus round.
But first, it's time to say goodbye to our wonderful contestants, Tracy Tuna and Sammy Starfish.
Apparently, everyone in the ocean has a name that starts with the first letter of the animal they are.
As for you, Smarty Pants, you'll learn lots more about the Narwhal, like, are Narwhals born with tusks?
How long does a Narwhal's tusk grow?
And what is it used for?
Plus, we'll find out if Ollie can win the bonus round when we return for another whiff of science on...
Who's smarted? Who's smarted?
Who's smart? Is it you?
Is it me? Is it science?
Or history? Listen up, everyone, we've been smarting.
Lots of fun on who's smarted!
And we're back. Nice work, Ollie, and to all you Smarty Pants playing at home.
It's time now for the bonus round.
Tell Ollie what prizes they can win.
Ollie, you'll be playing for a chance to win 10 ,000 clams!
And a brand new drum set!
Why be just an octopus when you can be a roctopus?
Back to you, trusty narrator!
Thanks, Bob. Okay, Ollie, we're going to ask 8 bonus questions.
Get it right, you'll hear...
Get it wrong, you'll hear...
Three strikes, and you're out.
And Smarty Pants, you can play along too.
Everyone ready? Ready!
Question 1. What is a group of narwhals called?
Is it A. Norwegians?
B. A Pod? C. Tuscateers?
Or D. A Blessing? Uh, well, I know whales travel in pods, but I think it's different for narwhals.
I'm going to say D.
Blessing! That's correct!
Narwhals usually travel at a group of 15 to 20 known as A Blessing.
Although there have been sightings of hundreds of narwhals swimming together.
Okay, next question.
What do narwhals eat?
Ooh, I know this one!
Narwhals have teeth, not baleen!
So they eat... fish!
The judges gave it to you.
You see, narwhals do eat fish.
However, they only have two teeth which are not used for chewing.
Instead, narwhals get close to their prey and slurp them right up like noodles and soup.
In the summer months, narwhals eat arctic cod, Greenland halibut, cuttlefish, shrimp, and armhook squid in shallow waters.
In the winter, under the densely packed ice, narwhals are more likely to eat flat fish that live in the sediment of the ocean floor.
Okay, you're doing great, Ollie!
Question three. What eats narwhals?
Um, aren't narwhals at the top of the food chain?
Ooh, while you might think so, narwhals do have a few predators, including orcas, also known as killer whales, polar bears, waiting at breathing holes in the ice, and humans, who have long hunted narwhals for their meat, skin, bones, and tusks.
Thankfully, hunting narwhals is now highly restricted.
Don't fret, Ollie! You still have two strikes and only five questions left.
Question four. What is the narwhals closest relative?
Is it A, the beluga whale, B, the baleon whale, or C, the walrus?
The beluga whale! Right you are.
Belugas and narwhals are both part of the family Monodontidae and share many common traits, but only narwhals have that trademark tusk.
Question five. How long do narwhal babies just ate or stay in their mother's womb before birth?
Uhh... Nine months?
Sorry, Ollie. That's human babies.
Smarty pants. Any guesses?
Since narwhals are mammals, they give birth to live young.
And no, narwhals are not born with a tusk.
However, baby narwhals are about five feet long.
Mothers give birth to a single baby narwhal, or calf, about once every three years.
Calves just ate about 14 months before they are born and begin nursing.
Young calves may stay under the protection of their mothers for up to 20 months.
All right, Ollie, you have three more questions and only one strike left.
However, you can call a smarty friend if you get stuck on an answer.
Oh, good. All right, Ollie.
Question six. On average, how long do narwhals live?
Is it 20, 50, or 100 years?
Oh, I know this one.
50 years. Great job!
On average, narwhals live to be 50 years old.
However, some new studies suggest that some narwhals can live to be as old as 115.
Wow! That's pretty old.
And 10 ,000 is a lot of clams.
You're just two questions away.
Ready for question seven?
Yuppers! Great. But I must warn you, this next question is tricky.
Here we go. What color are narwhals?
Um... Remember, you can call a smarty friend if you're not sure.
No, I got this. Narwhals change color as they grow up!
Babies are born blue -gray, then turn more blue -black, then gray.
And old grandma and grandpa narwhals are almost completely white!
Wow, that was a very detailed response.
Narwhals change color over time, kind of like human hair.
I wonder if middle -aged narwhals get nervous about finding one white fin.
Alright, Ollie. You get this last one right, and you win the bonus round.
How are you doing at home, smarty pants?
Great! OK, last question.
How long is the average narwhals tusk?
Is it 3 feet, 5 feet, 7 feet, or 9 feet long?
OK. I know a narwhals tusk is actually a canine tooth that becomes elongated!
Yes, but how elongated?
Um, um... Oh! I'm gonna call a smarty friend!
Great idea, Ollie. There's a phone right in front of you.
Go ahead and dial. Huh, that's funny.
My phone is ringing.
Give me just a minute here, OK?
Hello? Hello! Trusty narrator?
It's your friend, Ollie Octopus.
I need your help on this question for whale of fortune.
I'm not sure if I can be your phono, smarty friend.
Um, Judge, is this allowed?
Oh, the judges said it's OK.
So, ask away. Oh, wait, I asked the question.
So let's see, how long is the average narwhal's tusk?
I don't know. That's why I called you.
Yes, I'm getting to that.
I say the average narwhal tusk is a whopping nine feet long.
So, Ollie, are you going to agree with the trusty narrator's answer, or pick a different one?
Um, they don't call him the trusty narrator for nothing.
I say nine feet two.
That's right. Narwhals only have two canine teeth that can grow into tusks up to nine feet long and weigh about 22 pounds.
Ooh. All narwhals have the canine teeth, but only a single tusk grows in most males, and about 15 % of females.
Usually, it's the upper left tooth that extends into a tusk.
But occasionally, both teeth will elongate, allowing a narwhal to have two tusks.
Wow. I've never seen a narwhal with two tusks before.
Congratulations, Ollie.
You've won the bonus round, which means you get to take home 10 ,000 clams and a brand new drum set.
However, if you want to press your luck, you can answer one more question and double your prize to 20 ,000 clams.
Wow. That's a lot of clams.
But if you get it wrong, you leave with nothing.
What do you say, Ollie?
Got one more right answer about narwhals in you?
Um, yes, I'm going to press my luck.
Great. The bonus, bonus question coming up right after this quick break.
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Now back to Who Smarted.
The narwhal truly is a legendary creature and has appeared in art and literature for many centuries past.
In Jules Verne's 1870 book, 20 ,000 Leagues Under the Sea, he described a unicorn of the sea.
And in Herman Melville's classic Moby Dick, a narwhal tusk is said to hang in Windsor Castle, home of Queen Elizabeth.
Narwhals also appear in legends.
The Inuit people of Alaska and the Arctic claim a harpooned narwhal once pulled a woman into the ocean.
She herself was then transformed into a narwhal and her hair, which was tied up in a twist, became a spiral tusk.
Some medieval Europeans believed narwhal tusks were the same as unicorn horns and had magical powers.
Today, many people are still mesmerized by the narwhal's tusk and many hunt narwhals to get it.
However, it is not, I repeat, not magical and nobody should be hunting narwhals for their tusk.
Um, sorry to interrupt.
This is all really cool and I agree we shouldn't hunt narwhals, but what does this have to do with my bonus bonus question?
Well, I was just getting to that.
For 20 ,000 clams, your bonus bonus question is, what purpose does a narwhal's tusk serve?
Oh boy, can I call, uh, no, you can't call me again.
So what is your answer?
Um, to be honest, I'm really not sure.
Yes, that's the right answer.
Ollie, when it comes to narwhal's tusks, scientists are not entirely sure, but they do have a lot of theories.
For example, since a narwhal tusk is soft on the outside, it probably isn't used for fighting or defending against predators.
Instead, scientists think the tusk, which has 10 ,000 nerve endings in it, may be used as a sensory or communication organ to gather and share information about water chemistry.
However, the leading theory is that male narwhals use their tusks the way a peacock uses its feathers to show off and attract a mate.
Wow, I can't believe I won.
You sure did, Ollie.
Here's your 20 ,000 clams.
What are you going to do with all that money, Ollie?
Money? Oh, I was hoping it would be actual clams.
Good night, everyone.
A super -duper shout -out to Kingston, Princeton, Lola, and Morgan, and the TC Special Ed Unit at Lakewood in Dallas, Texas.
Thank you all so very much for listening and learning along with your friends at Who Smarted.
This episode, Narwhals, was written by Libby Ward and voiced by Sheffield Chastain, Kim Davis, Jenna Hobin, Adam Tex Davis, and Jerry Colbert.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hahn.
Who Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room Studios.
Our associate producer is Max Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis.
Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.
