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Narwhal vs Dolphin - What's the difference?

narwhal | dolphin |

As nouns the difference between narwhal and dolphin

is that narwhal is , an arctic cetacean that grows to about 20 feet (6 meters) long, the male having a single horn-like tusk, a twisted, pointed canine tooth that projects forward while dolphin is a carnivorous aquatic mammal inhabiting mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, famed for its intelligence and occasional willingness to approach humans or dolphin can be (nautical) a man-made semi submerged maritime structure, usually installed to provide a fixed structure for temporary mooring, to prevent ships from drifting to shallow water or to serve as base for navigational aids.

narwhal

English

(wikipedia narwhal) (Monodon monoceros)

Alternative forms

* narwal, narwhale

Noun

(en-noun)
  • , an Arctic cetacean that grows to about 20 feet (6 meters) long, the male having a single horn-like tusk, a twisted, pointed canine tooth that projects forward.
  • * 1986 , D. E. Sergeant, Chapter 16: Sea Mammals'', I. P. Martini (editor), ''Canadian Inland Seas , page 337,
  • Moreover, both narwhals and bowheads can occur in late summer in southern Prince Regent Inlet (coming from Lancaster Sound) and may reach Fury and Hecla Strait and northern Foxe Basin.
  • * 1988 , Tristan Jones, Somewheres East of Suez , unnumbered page,
  • Often, in the morning, narwhals' played around the boat and reminded me of the dolphins, so far away in the North Atlantic. But these '''narwhals''' were not like the Atlantic sea-dogs; they had little of their flashing vibrancy; these Turkish ' narwhals were much more relaxed, and rolled over lazily, with a sigh, as if they were going to retire to a sofa and smoke a hookah.
  • * 2000 , Richard C. Connor, Andrew J. Read, Richard Wrangham, 10: Male Reproductive Strategies and Social Bonds'', Janet Mann (editor), ''Cetacean Societies: Field Studies of Dolphins and Whales , page 247,
  • At over 2.5 m in length, the tusk of the male narwhal (Monodon monoceros ) is one the most impressive instruments of male-male competition among mammals.

    Synonyms

    * sea unicorn

    Derived terms

    * narwhalian, narwalian

    dolphin

    Etymology 1

    (etyl) dolfin, from (etyl) daulphin, dalphin, daufin, from (etyl) "womb".

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A carnivorous aquatic mammal inhabiting mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, famed for its intelligence and occasional willingness to approach humans.
  • A fish, the mahi-mahi or dorado, Coryphaena hippurus , with a dorsal fin that runs the length of the body, also known for iridescent coloration.
  • The dauphin, eldest son of the kings of France.
  • (historical) A mass of iron or lead hung from the yardarm, in readiness to be dropped through the deck and the hull of an enemy's vessel to sink it.
  • (nautical) A kind of wreath or strap of plaited cordage.
  • (nautical) A spar or buoy held by an anchor and furnished with a ring to which ships may fasten their cables.
  • A mooring post on a wharf or beach.
  • A permanent fender around a heavy boat just below the gunwale.
  • (military, obsolete) One of the handles above the trunnions by which a gun was lifted.
  • (Webster 1913)
    Synonyms
    *
    Derived terms
    (terms derived from dolphin) * Amazon River dolphin * Arabian common dolphin * Atlantic humpback dolphin * Atlantic spotted dolphin * Atlantic white-sided dolphin * Australian snubfin dolphin * bottlenose dolphin * Chilean dolphin * Commerson's dolphin * common dolphin * delphine * dolphin hugger * dolphinarium * dolphin-friendly * dusky dolphin * flog the dolphin * Fraser's dolphin * Ganges and Indus River dolphin * Heaviside's dolphin * Hector's dolphin * hourglass dolphin * humpback dolphin dolphin * Indian humpback dolphin * Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin * Irrawaddy dolphin * La Plata dolphin * long-beaked common dolphin * northern right whale dolphin * Pacific humpback dolphin * Pacific white-sided dolphin * Peale's dolphin * Risso's dolphin * rought-toothed dolphin * short-beaked common dolphin * southern right whale dolphin * spinner dolphin * striped dolphin * white-beaked dolphin * wholphin * Yangtze river dolphin

    See also

    * killer whale * pod * porpoise * sea lion * seal * whale

    Etymology 2

    From (duc d'Albe in French), who was the first to let build this type of structures in the Spanish Netherlands in the 16th century.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (nautical) A man-made semi submerged maritime structure, usually installed to provide a fixed structure for temporary mooring, to prevent ships from drifting to shallow water or to serve as base for navigational aids.